Colloquial name(s) Equality Act Sponsored by Rep. David Cicilline | Introduced on July 23, 2015 Number of Co-Sponsors 178 | |
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Full title To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes. Introduced in 114th United States Congress | ||
The Equality Act of 2015 is a bill in the United States House of Representatives and the Senate that if passed would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
Contents
H.R. 3185
On July 23, 2015, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) introduced the Equality Act of 2015 in the House of Representatives.
In January 2016, Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL) became the first Republican Representative to co-sponsor the bill.
S. 1858
On July 23, 2015, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Equality Act of 2015 in the United States Senate.
In January 2016, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) became the first Republican Senator to co-sponsor the bill.
Support
The Equality Act of 2015 has received support from Apple Inc., Dow Chemical Company, Human Rights Campaign, Levi Strauss & Co., American Airlines, Facebook, General Mills, Google, and Nike.
On November 10, 2015, President Barack Obama officially announced his support for the Equality Act of 2015.
Both main Democratic presidential candidates for 2016, namely Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, support the Equality Act of 2015.