House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), returning to her position Thursday as presiding officer of the U.S. House with a new Democratic majority, identified the Equality Act as bipartisan legislation she will seek to pass in the upcoming Congress.
Pelosi referenced the Equality Act, comprehensive legislation that would ban anti-LGBT discrimination under federal law, when identifying other measures with bipartisan support she’d seek to pass, including gun background check legislation and the DREAM Act.
“We will make America fairer by passing the Equality Act to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” Pelosi said.
Although the Equality Act had a modicum of bipartisan support in the previous Congress, the two Republicans in the House who co-sponsored the bill — former Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Scott Tayler of Virginia — are no longer serving in the chamber. Read more via Washington Blade
With our historic pro-equality gains in the House, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has stated that one of her first acts as speaker is to pass the Equality Act — federal legislation that would provide non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life. pic.twitter.com/eokMi7V8sj
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) January 3, 2019
See her full speech below.