3.0.0 1858 2023-01-11T13:30:02Z 2023-01-11T13:30:02Z Senate S 2015-07-23 114 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2015-07-23T23:18:31Z Equality Act 114 3185 HR 2015-09-08 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. Identical bill CRS Customer Non-Discrimination Act 114 5586 HR 2016-06-30 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. Related bill CRS 2015-07-23 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5530-5533) IntroReferral 2015-07-23 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress M001176 Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] Jeff Merkley D OR N B001230 Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] Tammy Baldwin D WI 2015-07-23 True B001288 Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] Cory Booker D NJ 2015-07-23 True B001267 Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] Michael Bennet D CO 2015-07-23 True B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2015-07-23 True B000711 Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] BARBARA BOXER D CA 2015-07-23 True B000944 Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] Sherrod Brown D OH 2015-07-23 True C000127 Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] Maria Cantwell D WA 2015-07-23 True C000141 Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] Ben Cardin D MD 2015-07-23 True C000174 Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] Thomas Carper D DE R. 2015-07-23 True C001088 Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] Christopher Coons D DE A. 2015-07-23 True D000563 Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] Richard Durbin D IL J. 2015-07-23 True F000062 Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] Dianne Feinstein D CA 2015-07-23 True F000457 Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN] Al Franken D MN 2015-07-23 True G000555 Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] Kirsten Gillibrand D NY E. 2015-07-23 True H001046 Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] Martin Heinrich D NM T. 2015-07-23 True H001042 Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] Mazie Hirono D HI K. 2015-07-23 True K000384 Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] Timothy Kaine D VA M. 2015-07-23 True K000383 Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] Angus King I ME S. 2015-07-23 True K000367 Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] Amy Klobuchar D MN 2015-07-23 True L000174 Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] Patrick Leahy D VT 2015-07-23 True M000133 Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] Edward Markey D MA J. 2015-07-23 True M001170 Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] Claire McCaskill D MO 2015-07-23 True M000639 Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] Robert Menendez D NJ 2015-07-23 True M000702 Sen. Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD] BARBARA MIKULSKI D MD ANN 2015-07-23 True M001169 Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] Christopher Murphy D CT S. 2015-07-23 True M001111 Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] Patty Murray D WA 2015-07-23 True P000595 Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] Gary Peters D MI 2015-07-23 True R000122 Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] John Reed D RI F. 2015-07-23 True R000146 Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV] HARRY REID D NV M. 2015-07-23 True S000033 Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] Bernard Sanders I VT 2015-07-23 True S001194 Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] Brian Schatz D HI 2015-07-23 True S000148 Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] Charles Schumer D NY E. 2015-07-23 True S001181 Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] Jeanne Shaheen D NH 2015-07-23 True S000770 Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] Debbie Stabenow D MI 2015-07-23 True U000039 Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM] TOM UDALL D NM 2015-07-23 True W000805 Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] Mark Warner D VA R. 2015-07-23 True W000817 Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] Elizabeth Warren D MA A. 2015-07-23 True W000802 Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] Sheldon Whitehouse D RI 2015-07-23 True W000779 Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] Ron Wyden D OR 2015-07-23 True K000360 Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL] MARK KIRK R IL STEVEN 2016-01-19 False C001070 Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] Bob Casey D PA 2016-06-08 False N000032 Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL] CLARENCE NELSON D FL WILLIAM 2016-09-19 False Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Civil actions and liability Consumer credit Due process and equal protection Elementary and secondary education Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Higher education Housing discrimination Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers Religion Retail and wholesale trades Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination Sports and recreation facilities Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues 00 2015-07-23 Introduced in Senate 2015-08-06T19:49:31Z Equality Act

Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation.

Defines:

  • "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition;
  • "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and
  • "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth.

Expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide:

  • exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays;
  • goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or
  • transportation services.

Prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place.

Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be:

  • denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or
  • denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity.

Prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Requires employers to recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise.

Provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Authorizes DOJ to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Requires protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. Prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections.

Prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.

Amends the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.

]]> Equality Act Display Title Equality Act Official Title as Introduced A bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Equality Act Introduced in Senate 2015-07-23T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s1858is/xml/BILLS-114s1858is.xml 2015-07-23 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5530-5533) text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.