PINEVILLE – The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Board of Commissioners today ruled to dismiss 18 discrimination complaints with findings of no probable cause and accept three withdrawals without settlement but with a right to sue.

The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights is the state government agency that enforces the Kentucky Civil Rights Act and federal civil rights laws. The commission meets monthly to rule on discrimination complaints made by members of the public pertaining to Kentucky. The board acts with the authority of a court of law.

The commission often meets at its headquarters in Louisville, Ky. A few times during the year as budget allows, the body meets in other regions to raise awareness to Kentuckians about the agency’s existence and its service to the public. The meeting in Pineville was near the residences of two current human rights commissioners, George Staples of Pineville and Samuel Coleman Jr. of Middlesboro, Ky.

The Kentucky Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination in the areas of employment, public accommodations (such as stores, theatres, and offices), housing, and financial transactions. The Act protects people from discrimination based on age, color, disability, family status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and tobacco-smoking status.

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