Its aim is to make life in Norway easier for foreigners who often find themselves aced out of the job market or who encounter difficulty renting an apartment.
In another recent case, a local furniture store wouldn't allow a female employee to wear a head scarf, arguing that it violated the store's dress code.
Solberg admits that much of the discrimination that occurs in Norway is informal and difficult to crack down on. "But once we finally have an explicit law, the threshold will rise considerably," she told newspaper Aftenposten on Monday.
Norway already has a new law forbidding discrimination in the housing market, and Solberg's department is mounting a campaign to inform the public about it. Her proposal would toughen the law, and also require those charged to mount proof of their innocence.
Solberg argues that existing law already makes it illegal for employers, for example, to prevent women from wearing head scarves if their religion calls for it. Her proposed law "would make this even more clear."
