Atkins’ affordable-housing bill clears second Senate committee

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The Senate Governance and Finance Committee Wednesday voted 5-2 to pass SB 2 – the Building Homes and Jobs Act – legislation authored by Senator Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) that will create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing. The bill was previously endorsed by the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee and…

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US appoints hate group representatives to annual women’s rights meeting at United Nations

Monday, 13 March, the United States Department of State announced that its official delegation to the 61st annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) includes representatives of two organizations known to oppose the UN human rights system, LGBTIQ rights, and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights: the Center for Family and…

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Susan Davis introduces bipartisan bill to stop LGBT discrimination for jury service

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) introduced the Juror Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit removal from a jury based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) joined Davis as lead cosponsor of the bill. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. “Equal treatment is a…

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Transgender women of color to rally on National Day of Action to End Violence

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National LGBTQ Task Force is joining LGBTQ advocates in a National Day of Action to End Violence Against Transgender Women of Color. Since the beginning of the year, seven transgender women of color have been murdered across the country. In Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, hate crimes targeting transgender women have skyrocketed…

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Covered California releases analysis of changes proposed in the American Health Care Act

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California released a new comprehensive analysis on Tuesday detailing the financial assistance available through the Affordable Care Act as well as a preliminary analysis of how changes proposed in federal law would affect enrollees. The studies come one day after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that 24 million consumers could…

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Gonzalez Fletcher Bill to aid deported veterans advances

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher won approval from the Assembly Judiciary Committee today for her legislation to create a legal assistance fund for veterans who have been deported in contradiction of the promise of expedited citizenship that immigrant soldiers receive. The measure, AB 386, was approved on a 8-1 vote. “Immigrants…

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24 million people stand to lose insurance under ‘Trumpcare’

A Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation report published Monday estimates that enacting the American Health Care Act (AHCA) or “Trumpcare”would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 24 million in 2026 relative to current law. These findings contradict Trump’s…

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Eleventh Circuit rules against employee harassed and forced out for being a lesbian

ATLANTA, Ga.— Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has largely affirmed a lower district court’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit of Jameka Evans, a security guard who was targeted for harassment and effectively terminated from her job at Georgia Regional Hospital because she is a lesbian and didn’t conform to gender norms…

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Rights organizations call for no borders on gender justice

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Today, as the United Nations begins its annual gathering on women’s rights, a coalition of international women’s, LGBTQ, and immigrant justice organizations have launched a joint initiative called: No Borders on Gender Justice. This coalition, participating in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), highlights that this year’s session takes place…

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