Present: Mohamad Khan, Bernard Bidne, Blanca Flores, Liz Nichols,
Flora Lee, and Jack Morlan
Staff: Tim Cook, Ron Pothast, and Don Grove
Public: Rod Boshart (Cedar Rapids Gazette) and Kelly Boon (Iowa
Department of Cultural Affairs)
Items:
1. Call to Order
8:15 a.m.
2. Recognition of Public and News Media
Boshart was recognized at the beginning of the meeting; Boon was
recognized later.
3. Commissioners' Reports
Khan - said he participated in an Interfaith Service at Mercy Hospital for breast cancer awareness on October 20 and attended the Second Annual Friends of Iowa Civil Rights, Inc. Banquet and Awards Ceremony on October 23
Nichols - said she attended the Lt. Governor's Committee on Diversity's Fourth Annual Faces and Voices of Iowa Conference on October 21; also said she borrowed two videos on fair housing from the ICRC for a professor at Simpson College
Lee - said she conducted a presentation at St. Luke's Hospital for employees on cultural diversity and working with diverse populations
Flores - said she also attended the Faces and Voices Conference on October 21-22 Bidne - said he attended the Friends Banquet on October 23; also said he watched a television program on same sex classrooms which explored a number of very interesting issues
Morlan - said he visited staff and commissioners of the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights after the ICRC Meeting on September 26; also said he attended the Des Moines City Council Meeting on October 20 and the Friends Banquet on October 23
4. Next Meeting
10:00 a.m. - Noon, Friday, November 21, 1997
Des Moines location to be announced
5. Minutes of September 26, 1997 Commissioners' Meeting
Bidne moved to approve; Flores seconded. Motion passed.
6. Financial Report for September 1997
Lee moved to approve and file for audit; Bidne seconded. Motion
passed.
7. "Fighting Discrimination," powerpoint presentation
by Don Grove, executive director
Grove facilitated discussion regarding ICRC's mission and programs.
8. Job Description for Commission Chair
Commissioners listed the following responsibilities of the ICRC Chair:
a. determining meeting agenda items
b. managing the monthly meetings, following generally accepted, basic parliamentary procedures
c. approving Commissioner's requests to attend meetings via telephone
d. making the decision, along with the executive director, on whether a case proceeds to public hearing
e. reviewing/signing Commissioner Complaints
9. Fiscal Year 1998 Commissioners' Meeting Schedule
Commissioners agreed on the following schedule, from November
21, 1997 through December 1998:
11-21-97 10 a.m. Des Moines
1-16-98 10 a.m. Teleconference
2-27-98 10 a.m. ?
3-27-98 10 a.m. ?
4-24-98 10 a.m. ?
5-22-98 10 a.m. ?
6-26-98 10 a.m. ?
7-24-98 10 a.m. ?
8-28-98 10 a.m. ?
9-25-98 10 a.m. ?
10-23-98 10 a.m. ?
12-4-98 10 a.m. ?
10. "The Public Hearing Process," presentation by Rick
Autry, Assistant Attorney General
Autry facilitated discussion regarding the public hearing process,
from the decision to take a case to hearing through judicial review.
11. 1998 Legislative Agenda
Cook reviewed the status of our bill, Senate Study Bill 166.
12. Fair Lending
Grove reported that our study of 1995 Home Mortgage Disclosure
Act (HMDA) data has been sent to printing and should be ready
for distribution in early-November 1997. In January or February
1998, the 1996 HMDA data study should be completed.
13. Fair Housing
Grove reported that ICRC's new Multi-Area Testing Program is underway;
two communities have been tested so far, based on race, in the
areas of employment, public accommodations, housing, and credit;
ICRC's Alison Radl and Volunteer Carolyn Braley are the Testing
Coordinators.
14. Immigration
ICRC's Dawn Peterson is working with a number of other person
and organizations, including the Stanley Foundation, planning
a Spring 1998 Conference on Immigration.
15. Staff Reports
Grove reported that ICRC's backlog is now 9.
16. Opportunity for the public to address the Commissioners
No one asked to address.
17. Study Circles Session #1
postponed