PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia City Council is putting a 21st Century sheen on a five-decade old city law that deals with discrimination.

Philadelphia’s Fair Practices law protects against discrimination in the workplace, housing and in public accommodations. But the code dates back nearly fifty years and Rue Landau, Executive Director of the city’s Human Relations Commission, says in some respects it is woefully out of date.

“It was enacted in 1963; it has had piecemeal revisions since then. There have been some inconsistencies. We are not in line with some newer portions of federal law, and it’s just more complicated for the residents of Philadelphia to read.”

So City Council has given an initial okay to a sweeping overhaul of the Fair Practices law. Among other things, the changes streamline the complaint process, increase fines, and add protections to members of the LGBT community and to victims of domestic violence.

Reported By Mike Dunn, KYW Newsradio.