Kansas. Commission on Civil Rights

In 1953, the State of Kansas passed the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD), the twelfth state to pass such an act. This act created the Anti-Discrimination Commission which focused solely on employment practices and had no enforcement capabilities. In 1961 when the act was amended in order to become an enforceable law prohibiting discriminatory employment practices because of race, religion, color, national origin, or ancestry, the name changed to the Kansas Commission on Civil Rights. Over the following thirty years, the Commission on Civil Rights gained more power as the KAAD broadened its coverage. Public accommodations, such as hotels and restaurants, came under the commission's purview, as did private housing. Types of discrimination, including physical handicap, age, and familial status were added. The Commission gained the ability to initiate complaints and contract compliance programs, as well as the power of subpoena and the ability to use hearing examiners for public hearings. In 1991, along with some amendments to the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, the commission changed its name again to the Kansas Human Rights Commission. [Kansas Human Rights Commission. "Annual Report Fiscal Year 2007," http://www.khrc.net/pdf/AR2007.pdf (accessed 27 October 2008).]