IOWA CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION SETS NEW RECORDS
"Thanks to the hard and smart work of staff, twenty-two local human rights commissions, and more than one hundred volunteers, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission had another very productive year, especially in complaint processing. We resolved more cases than we took in, which means further reductions in the backlog; and we set a new record in settlement agreement amounts, " says Don Grove, executive director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
For the fifth year in a row, the Commission resolved more cases than it received. In fiscal year 1998, from July 1 through June 30, 1998, the Commission docketed 2,188 new complaints and resolved 2,211. Seven years ago, the Commission had more than 600 cases in the backlog, waiting to be assigned to investigators. Today, that number is 40.
| FY 93 | FY 94 | FY 95 | FY 96 | FY 97 | FY 98 | |
| Docketed | 1826 | 2038 | 2274 | 2172 | 2171 | 2188 |
| Resolved | 1689 | 2087 | 2434 | 2298 | 2202 | 2211 |
| Backlog | 575 | 474 | 299 | 118 | 78 | 40 |
For the fourth year in a row, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission recorded more than one million dollars in annualized benefits. Annualized benefits represents the cash value of settlement agreements to persons who file discrimination complaints. During fiscal year 1998, the Commission facilitated voluntary settlement in 216 cases and recorded $1,963,300 in benefits, for an average settlement amount of $9,089.
| FY 93 | FY 94 | FY 95 | FY 96 | FY 97 | FY 98 | |
| # Settled | 146 | 127 | 233 | 291 | 193 | 216 |
| Benefits | $429,900 | $634,000 | $1,378,000 | $1,825,000 | $1,854,000 | $1,963,300 |
| Average | $1,932 | $3,154 | $5,914 | $6,271 | $9,606 | $9,089 |
The mission of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission is to eliminate discrimination in Iowa. Currently, the Commission fights discrimination five ways: (1) investigating and resolving complaints alleging discrimination, (2) educating the public on anti-discrimination law and on the value of diversity, (3) testing entities covered by the law to determine the nature and extent of discrimination in Iowa, (4) helping communities build diversity appreciation teams to identify and resolve discrimination and diversity issues locally, and (5) promoting the use of study circles on racism and race relations.