HomeMy WebLinkAboutHRCMinutes_2018_07_09Brookings Human Rights Commission Minutes
Monday, July 09, 2018
Room 300 Community Room, Brookings City & County Government Building
Attendance: Steve Bayer, chair; Maggie Owens, vice-chair; Lawrence Novotny, recorder; Penny Hauffe; Hanna
Holmquist; Meagan Irvine-Miller; Erinn Osborne; Shafiqur Rahman (county representative); Kas Williams (SDSU
liaison);Shari Thornes, city clerk-staff
Absent: George Hamer;
Guests: Jessie Kuechenmeister, chair of the Committee for People Who Have Disabilities; Sylvia Buboltz, vice-
chair of the Committee for People Who Have Disabilities and a member of the Brookings Mental Health Task
Force; Paul Briseno, City Manager
Chair Bayer called the meeting to order at 11:58 am.
Motion by Rahman, seconded by Miller, to adopt the agenda. All present voted aye; motion carried.
Guests and Commission members were introduced.
Rahman moved, seconded by Miller, to approve the minutes of the May 14 and the June 11 meetings. All voted
aye.
SB 119:
The BHRC was made aware of the passage of SB 119 by the 2018 Legislature into law. This new law provides
certain provisions regarding the furnishing of fraudulent disability documentation by renters to landlords.
Both the BRHC and the Disabilities Committee have concerns with this bill, mainly:
The bill exceeds the requirements of the Federal Housing Act and the American Disabilities Act
The bill has unclear language
There needs to be a distinction between animals for emotional support and animals for disabilities
services.
The bill as written creates an undue burden for people needing support animals.
SB 119 will not affect our current complaint since the complaint was filed before SB 119 became law.
Both the BHRC and the Disabilities Committee are planning a joint training for landlords. This training will cover
support animals and the 2017 non-discrimination ordinance.
An ad hoc committee consisting of Owens and Hauffe from BHRC and Kuechenmeister and Buboltz from the
Disabilities Committee will schedule a meeting with Brookings Representative Tim Reed to discuss clarifying
language during the 2019 Legislative Session. Bayer also suggested meeting with all of the legislative
candidates.
Inclusivity Team – Welcome Signs
Novotny, Dianne Nagy and Lisa Plummer had a meeting with Van Fishback whereby they asked him to provide
funding for another series of signs that read “No Matter Where You Are From, We’re Glad You Are Our
Neighbor” in English, Spanish and Arabic. Fishback agreed to provide $750 in funds provided a match is found.
Miller moved, Hauffe seconded, that the BRHC provide the $750 match to purchase around 240 signs and that
distribution of the signs be limited to one per household. Motion passed.
There was discussion on obtaining signs with a different message and having signs include the Lakota language.
It was decided to use the same sign as last year since this is what Fishback is expecting. The inclusivity team can
look at signs with a different message for next year.
About 20 signs will be set aside to be placed on the SDSU campus during move-in days, than those signs will be
available for the public. Williams will coordinate the placement of the signs on the campus.
Community Common Read:
Miller reported that the campus common read committee is open for BHRC to partner with them on their take-
back-the-night event. We need to have plans for our common read event developed by our next meeting.
Human Rights Youth and Ally Awards
No nominations were received from our second request. The BHRC discussed nominating Gail Klinker, retired
9th grade honors English teacher who always had her students submit essays for the King contest, and Dan Berg,
the advisor to the high school human rights student group. Rahman moved, Owens seconded, to nominate
Klinker and Berg for the first annual Brookings Human Rights Youth and Ally Awards. Motion passed.
Osborne volunteered to interview Klinker and Owens volunteered to interview Berg and to draft the press
releases.
Conferences:
No one will be attending or representing the BRHC at the Sioux Falls Diversity Conference on July 19.
A global human rights conference will be held at SDSU on October 4-6. Organizers are looking for participants
for a round table discussion.
Complaint:
There was an inquiry about a new complaint whereby a landlord wanted documentation regarding a support
animal for a renter’s weekend guest.
Committee/Staff Updates:
One nomination was received for the student vacancy on BHRC.
Adjourn: Motion made to adjourn at 1:12 pm. All approved.
Submitted by Lawrence Novotny, recorder