S 788 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Equality Act

Introduced Mar 13, 2019 Originated Senate Sponsor Jeff Merkley D-OR

Fact sheet

Latest action · Mar 13, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedMar 13, 2019
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Equality Act

This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.

The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services.

The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill 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.

Cosponsors 46

Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 13, 2019.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-MNAmy KlobucharOriginalMar 13, 2019
I-MEAngus S. King Jr.OriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MDBenjamin L. CardinOriginalMar 13, 2019
I-VTBernard SandersOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-HIBrian SchatzOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NVCatherine Cortez MastoOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NYCharles E. SchumerOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MDChris Van HollenOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-DEChristopher A. CoonsOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-CTChristopher MurphyOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NJCory A. BookerOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MIDebbie StabenowOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-CADianne FeinsteinOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-ALDoug JonesOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MAEdward J. MarkeyOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MAElizabeth WarrenOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MIGary C. PetersOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-RIJack ReedOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NVJacky RosenOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NHJeanne ShaheenOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MTJon TesterOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-CAKamala D. HarrisOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NYKirsten E. GillibrandOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-AZKyrsten SinemaOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NHMargaret Wood HassanOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-WAMaria CantwellOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-VAMark R. WarnerOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NMMartin HeinrichOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-HIMazie K. HironoOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-COMichael F. BennetOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-VTPatrick J. LeahyOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-WAPatty MurrayOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-CTRichard BlumenthalOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-ILRichard J. DurbinOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NJRobert MenendezOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-PARobert P. Casey Jr.OriginalMar 13, 2019
D-ORRon WydenOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-RISheldon WhitehouseOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-OHSherrod BrownOriginalMar 13, 2019
R-MESusan M. CollinsOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-WITammy BaldwinOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-ILTammy DuckworthOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-DEThomas R. CarperOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-VATim KaineOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-MNTina SmithOriginalMar 13, 2019
D-NMTom UdallOriginalMar 13, 2019

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 13, 2019Introduced in Senate
  2. Mar 13, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 5Equality ActRelated billMay 20, 2019
HR 2402Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2019Related billMay 20, 2019
HR 2687Customer Non-Discrimination ActRelated billJun 26, 2019

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 13, 2019Introduced in Senate

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.