AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott today announced a special session at the Texas State Capitol with an agenda that includes passing a so-called anti-trans “bathroom bill” which openly targets and discriminates against transgender Texans for living their lives according to their gender identity. The so-called “bathroom bill” has already received negative attention as…
Today, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1085/House Bill 1111. If signed into law, SB 1085/ HB 1111 could invalidate marriages of LGBTQ couples and legal documents that affirm a transgender person’s true identity by stating that any “undefined” words be given their “natural and ordinary meaning.” The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Haslam’s…
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…
WASHINGTON – South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard made South Dakota the first state this year to enact anti-LGBT legislation following the signing of S.B. 149 Friday, which permits taxpayer-funded agencies to deny services to LGBT people, authorizing discrimination through the use of religious exemptions. With today’s signing of S.B. 149, the legislation becomes the first…
March 6, Republican members of the House of Representatives released proposed legislation to repeal key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which would significantly limit access to private insurance and Medicaid for those who need it most. The American Health Care Act would substantially decrease coverage options and increase insurance costs for people living…
SOUTH DAKOTA — The South Dakota legislature has sent a ‘License to Disriminate’ bill to the governor for signing. The bill, SB 149 would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into state law by allowing state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ youth in their care and to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Today, the Alabama House Health Committee put the discriminatory H.B. 24 bill on the fast track to a vote by the full House of Representatives. The bill, titled the “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act,” would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into Alabama law by allowing state-funded and licensed adoption and foster care agencies to…
A Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has voted to advance SB 127 — legislation promoting taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBTQ Tennesseans and their families. The discriminatory proposal would prohibit state agencies and municipalities from requiring businesses, organizations, contractors and grantees, to not have policies that discriminate against LGBTQ people. SB 127 states, “A government entity shall not…
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Gov. McAuliffe today issued Executive Order 61, which will advance the cause of equality in Virginia by requiring all future state contractors with the Executive Branch to agree to a non-discrimination policy that includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This action builds on Executive Order Number 1 by extending…
Wednesday, Judge Todd Hernandez of the 19th Judicial District Court struck down Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ executive order protecting LGBTQ state workers and contractors from discrimination. Judge Hernandez delivered the ruling as the result of a dispute between Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, and the Democratic governor, reported The Washington Blade. “The court…
