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Iowa Civil Rights Commission

FY 97 Annual Report Summary

Our Mission is to eliminate discrimination in Iowa.

We fight discrimination five ways:

1. Investigating and resolving discrimination complaints

2. Conducting a multifaceted public education program

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 diversity and discrimination issues locally

5. Promoting the use of Study Circles (small discussion groups) on racism and race relations.

FY 97 Highlights

Thanks to the hard and smart work of staff, local commissions, and volunteers, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission had another outstanding year. We set new records and expanded or improved every one of our programs.

We accomplished our number one goal to get case processing time down to one year from filing to completed investigation
We set a new record for annualized benefits (cash value of settlements and final decisions) $1,854,000.
We set a new record for the highest average mediated/conciliated settlement $9,606.
We set a new record for intake calls 10, 509 (an average of 876 per month).
We set a new record for items mailed/distributed 54,000.
We added a new program or weapon in the fight against discrimination study circles on racism and race relations.
We created an ICRC Web Site.
In mid-year we started tracking the number of hours and the work accomplished by our many and dedicated volunteers. From Dec. 1, 1996 through June 30, 1997, our 105 volunteers worked 1,774 hours, resolved 51 cases and conducted 239 tests.
We completed our 18-month Mortgage Lending Study and issued the final report, which earned HUD's "Fair Housing Achievement" Award.

Case Processing

For the fourth year in a row, we resolved more cases than we received.

	FY 92	FY 93	FY 94	FY 95	FY 96	FY 97
New Complaints	1562	1826	2038	2274	2172	2171
Resolutions	1362	1689	2087	2434	2298	2202

Complaints Filed by Area

Area	#	%
Employment	1,874	86.3
Public Accommodations	152	7.0
Housing	113	5.2
Education	26	1.2
Credit	6	.3

Complaints Filed by Basis

Basis	#	%
Disability	839	38.6
Sex	796	36.7
Race	522	24.0
Age	404	18.6
Retaliation	327	15.1
National Origin	96	4.4
Religion	66	3.0
Familial Status	29	1.3
Marital Status	4	.18
Color	3	.14

Incidents (Non-housing)

(top ten)

Incident	#	%
Termination	854	39.3
Terms & Conditions	610	28.1
Harassment	356	16.4
Failure to Accommodate	333	15.3
Sexual Harassment	262	12.1
Failure to Hire	212	9.8
Forced to Quit	192	8.8
Failure to Promote	122	5.6
Demotion	99	4.6
Layoff	83	3.8

Complaints Filed by Incident - Housing

Incident	#	%
Terms & Conditions	41	36.3
Failure to Rent/Sell	37	32.7
Eviction	28	24.8
General Harassment	11	9.7
Failure to Accommodate	5	4.4
Sexual Harassment	3	2.7

Case Resolutions*

Resolution Type	#
Probable Cause	28
No Probable Cause	212
To Hearing	8
Screen Out	1.032
Right-to-Sue	259
Administratively Closed, Other	172
Mediated	179
Conciliated	14
Withdrawl	37

* Does not include all closures received from other agencies.

Public Education Highlights

In FY 97, we conducted 232 workshops/presentations, with a total audience of 7,239.
The two most requested workshop topics were sexual harassment and appreciating diversity.
The video lending library had 253 video uses.
A lending library of books on diversity has been established.
A conference was held on "Practical Issues in Fair Housing Litigation," with staff from John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
The Friends of Iowa Civil Rights held its first Awards Banquet, with awards being presented to persons and organizations with exemplary service in civil rights.

Testing Highlights

Tests conducted in FY 97 (employment, housing, public accommodations):

582 tests

116 possible violations found

12 Commissioner complaints filed

Community Diversity Appreciation Teams Highlight

Community teams increased from eight to 17 communities participating.

Study Circles Highlights

Six communities have formed coalitions to sponsor Study Circles.
A bi-monthly Study Circles newsletter was started to keep the coalitions in contact and to share plans.