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S1503Referred to Committee

Equality Act

Share:
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2025-04-29
Introduced
46
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Jeff Merkley
Jeff Merkley
Democrat · OR · Senator
Votes with party: 65.3% (323 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.

  • Adam B. Schiff (D-CA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Alex Padilla (D-CA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Andy Kim (D-NJ)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Angus S. King Jr. (I-ME)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Bernard Sanders (I-VT)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Brian Schatz (D-HI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Christopher Murphy (D-CT)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Edward J. Markey (D-MA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Gary C. Peters (D-MI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Jack Reed (D-RI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Jacky Rosen (D-NV)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)Original· 2025-04-29
  • John Fetterman (D-PA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Jon Ossoff (D-GA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Maria Cantwell (D-WA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Mark Kelly (D-AZ)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Mark R. Warner (D-VA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Martin Heinrich (D-NM)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Patty Murray (D-WA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Peter Welch (D-VT)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Ron Wyden (D-OR)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Tim Kaine (D-VA)Original· 2025-04-29
  • Tina Smith (D-MN)Original· 2025-04-29

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 viewRead on Congress.gov

Related legislation

Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.

  • S4618Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act
    Referred to Committee · 2026-05-21
  • S4597Early Childhood Workforce Advancement Act of 2026
    Referred to Committee · 2026-05-20
  • S4568Nursing is a Professional Degree Act
    Referred to Committee · 2026-05-19
  • SJRES163A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.
    Referred to Committee · 2026-05-13