Countywide : Supervisors to Consider Law Barring AIDS Bias
Following the lead of other state counties, the County Board of Supervisors next Tuesday will consider a law prohibiting job and housing discrimination against victims of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
A special citizens committee took 18 months to draw up the proposal, which is expected to win unanimous passage from the five supervisors.
Tom Uram, director of the county’s Health Care Agency, said the county’s AIDS anti-discrimination proposal differs from other laws around the state in that it does not include language dealing with sexual preference and life style.
The county’s ordinance, he said, deals only with bias against those suffering from AIDS or suspected of carrying the human immunodeficiency virus.
“This comes at a very appropriate time,” Uram said. “We decided a long time ago to take a long look at this issue before acting. We are pleased with the result.”
As of May 1, 1,049 cases of AIDS had been reported in the county. The virus has proven fatal in about 60% of those cases, county health records showed.
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