Chief HR officers urge rethinking on immigration policy and DACA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 100 chief human resource officers today urged members of Congress and the Trump administration to consider in future policymaking the vital role foreign-born workers play in the U.S. economy. The letter from HR Policy Association noted the enactment of a statutory authorization of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program…

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Legal advocates in fight against Trump transgender military ban praise congressional demand for answers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 100 Members of Congress wrote to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis asking him to provide any “discussions or correspondence between the White House and the Pentagon” that purportedly informed President Trump’s decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal…

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185 civil and human rights groups urge Congress to immediately pass the Dream Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights along with 184 civil and human rights groups has sent a letter to Congress to urge lawmakers to immediately pass the Dream Act without amendment. “President Trump’s cruel and inhumane decision to end DACA must not stand,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of…

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National Nurses United endorses Doug Applegate for Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C.– National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, have endorsed Col. Doug Applegate for election to Congress to represent California’s 49th Congressional District. “We are proud to endorse Doug Applegate for Congress because he supports single-payer Medicare for All so that everyone gets the therapeutic health care they deserve,” said Deborah…

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Democratic lawmakers reintroduce Do No Harm Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reps. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), with the full support of the American Civil Liberties Union, reintroduced the Do No Harm Act in Congress today to ensure that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) continues to protect religious freedom without being used to discriminate against  women, the LGBT community, and…

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Think tank urges Congress to address the LGBT data gap

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report out today from the Center for Data Innovation—a data-policy think tank—outlines 10 concrete steps Congress can take to optimize the way data is collected, shared, and used in the United States, including addressing the LGBT data gap. According to the think tank, government-sponsored data collection often omits demographic information…

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Lawmakers introduce LGBT anti-discrimination bill

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and more than 200 other members of Congress today introduced the Equality Act, a comprehensive federal bill that prohibits discrimination against LGBT people and women. In addition to providing explicit nondiscrimination protections to LGBT people, the Equality Act fills gaps in our nation’s civil rights…

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HRC calls on Congress to reject the American Health Care Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sent a letter opposing the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to the Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), the…

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Congress passes annual defense bill without anti-LGBTQ amendment

Thursday, the U.S House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The final version of the legislation did not include a House-passed provision that would have dramatically expanded religious discrimination with taxpayer funds and undermined President Obama’s executive order prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in federal contracting. The provision —…

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