Govwatch

Introduced

In Committee

3

Passed One Chamber

4

Passed Both

5

Signed into Law

Sponsor

Jeff Merkley

Democrat · OR · Senator

Votes with party: 85.2% (851 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/M001176

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (46)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2025-04-29

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Senate Committee on the JudiciaryReferred To · 2025-04-29

Previously

Judiciary CommitteeReferred To · 2025-04-29

Plain-English Summary

The legislation would expand federal civil rights protections to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity in areas like employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and federally funded programs. This means LGBTQ+ individuals would have the same legal protections against discrimination that currently exist for people based on race, religion, or sex. The bill would affect businesses, schools, landlords, and other organizations that serve the public or receive federal funding.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Full bill text is not yet cached locally.

Open text view Read on Congress.gov

Related legislation

Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.

SRES806A resolution designating July 2026 as "Plastic Pollution Action Month".
Referred to Committee · 2026-07-16
S5021A bill to provide consumer protections for students.
Referred to Committee · 2026-07-16
S5005A bill to amend the Epstein Files Transparency Act with respect to enforcement by an attorney general of a State.
Referred to Committee · 2026-07-15
S4990A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to review and update Federal Aviation Administration regulations, policies, and guidance related to low-altitude airspace safety, and for other purposes.
Referred to Committee · 2026-07-15

Equality Act