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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Reynolds Graves, Lawyers’ Committee, RGraves@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8375

National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Presents House Testimony on Auto Lending Discrimination

Testimony to Be Presented to House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

WASHINGTON

Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, will testify before the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations at tomorrow's committee hearing "Examining Discrimination in the Automobile Loan and Insurance Industries" on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 10:00am in room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Witness list for today's hearing

In her testimony, Clarke observes: "Discriminatory auto lending poses grave financial danger to African American, Latino and other vulnerable consumers. Increasingly, lenders are taking advantage of a highly unregulated and unmonitored market to promote discriminatory and predatory practices. Congress must fully leverage its investigative, oversight and law-making powers to safeguard the rights of our nation's most vulnerable consumers, to hold predatory auto lenders accountable and to ensure that our federal agencies are carrying out their role and responsibility in enforcing the law." Clarke described auto lending discrimination as a contributor to the growing "racial wealth gap" and underscored the need to view lending discrimination as a "core civil rights priority today."

Kristen Clarke's prepared testimony for May 1, 2019 can be found here.

Live stream of today's hearing can be found here.

The Committee Memorandum can be found here.

About the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 56th year, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to "Move America Toward Justice." The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.

The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.

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