zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Social Security and Marriage Equality Act 

 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the determination of a valid marriage to account for marriages in jurisdictions other than a state.

Authorizes the courts of any state to find that an OASDI benefit applicant and an insured individual were validly married in a jurisdiction other than a state at the time the applicant files a benefit application or, if the insured individual is dead, at the time the individual died.

Date: 2015-03-17
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security and Medicare Parity Act of 2015

 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the determination of a valid marriage to account for marriages in jurisdictions other than a state.

Authorizes the courts of any state to find that an OASDI benefit applicant and an insured individual were validly married in a jurisdiction other than a state at the time the applicant files a benefit application or, if the insured individual is dead, at the time the individual died.

Waives the nine-month marriage requirement to make eligible for widow or widower benefits certain widows or widowers whose marriage to a deceased individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the deceased individual as a result of such a marriage.

Waives the one-year marriage requirement to make eligible for husband's or wife's OASDI benefits certain husbands and wives whose marriage to an individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the individual as a result of such a marriage.

Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to conduct a comprehensive and effective three-year outreach campaign to encourage benefit applications by individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits as a result of changes in law relating to same-sex marriage and occurring on or after June 26, 2013.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Social welfare
Support Uniformed Patriots; Prevent Offenses and Restore Trust Act or the SUPPORT Act

This bill directs the Secretary of a military department to ensure that:

 the commander of each unit of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps or Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps and all professors of military science, senior military instructors, and civilian employees assigned or employed as administrators and instructors of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps receive sexual assault prevention and response training and education; and information regarding legal assistance and the services of the Department of Defense (DOD) sexual assault prevention and response program is made available to such Reserve Officers' Training Corps personnel. The Secretary of DOD (Secretary) shall establish a strategy to prevent retaliation by members of the Armed Forces against other members who report or otherwise intervene on behalf of sexual assault victims.

The Secretary or the Secretary of a military department may permit a DOD civilian employee who is a victim of a sex-related offense to obtain the services of a Special Victims' Counsel.

The Secretary is directed to improve the Special Victims' Counsel program regarding: (1) criminal justice experience for judge advocates, (2) counsel training, (3) program performance standards, and (4) increased counsel-client communication.

The Secretary shall:

 provide for revised sexual assault prevention and response training to address the incidence of male service members being sexually assaulted, and appropriate DOD mental and medical care (including improved provider guidelines) for male victims; ensure that mental health records are neither sought from a medical treatment facility by investigators or military justice practitioners nor acknowledged or released by medical treatment facility personnel until their production has been ordered by a military judge or Article 32 hearing officer; and examine DOD and interagency review process for implementing statutory changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and explore streamlining options.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that gender specific services are continuously available at every VA medical center and community based outpatient clinic.

Authorizes the VA to employ such personnel and enter into such contracts as may be necessary to provide such services based on the standards of the VA and the demand for such services.

Date: 2015-04-28
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2015

Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to expand the categories of prohibited discrimination when extending credit to include discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Currently, such discrimination in credit is prohibited only on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age.)

Provides for such Act to apply whether the basis for certain prohibited forms of discrimination is actual or perceived.

Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.

Date: 2015-05-13
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Federal Employee Gender Diversity Investment Act

This bill establishes a Gender Equality-Focused Stock Index Fund as an investment option for the Thrift Savings Plan. In creating the Fund, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board must select a minimum of one index that is a commonly-recognized, passively-managed index comprised of stocks that have been analyzed and selected based on criteria that include, at a minimum: (1) gender diversity in corporate board and senior management composition, (2) pay equity, (3) workplace relations and benefits, and (4) international operations and human rights.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Prohibits adoption or foster care placement service entities that receive federal assistance (or that contract with entities receiving such assistance) from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement.

Allows individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action seeking relief in federal court.

Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training.

Allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to states that fail to comply with this Act.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Families
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act

Prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. Bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk.

Makes this Act inapplicable to practices that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if the therapy provides: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices.

Provides authority to Federal Trade Commission to enforce this Act and treats violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Commerce
Pregnancy Discrimination Amendment Act 

Amends provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that protect against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace to provide for women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions to be treated the same for all employment-related purposes as any other persons who are applicants for employment with, or employees of, the same employer in work that is performed under similar working conditions and who are not so affected but are similar in their temporary ability or inability to work.

Makes such treatment applicable to existing prohibited categories of employment discrimination on the basis of sex or because of sex.

Prohibits this treatment from permitting a labor organization to cause an employer to commit an unlawful employment practice against an employee in violation of such provisions.

Date: 2015-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
First Amendment Defense Act

Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.

Defines "discriminatory action" as any federal government action to discriminate against a person with such beliefs or convictions, including a federal government action to:

 alter the federal tax treatment of, cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke certain tax exemptions of any such person; disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status from or to such person; or withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a federal benefit program. Requires the federal government to consider to be accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of federal law any person who would be accredited, licensed, or certified for such purposes but for a determination that the person believes or acts in accordance with such a religious belief or moral conviction.

Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government.

Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce this Act against the Government Accountability Office or an establishment in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, that is not an executive department, military department, or government corporation.

Defines "person" as any person regardless of religious affiliation, including corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.

Date: 2015-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Restore Honor to Service Members Act

Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable.

Directs the Department of Defense to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable.

Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge.

Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives.

Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member.

Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to remove from the offense of sodomy specified activity referred to as unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex.

Date: 2015-07-15
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same sex couples.

Date: 2015-07-16
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Taxation
Unpaid Intern Protection Act of 2015

Prohibits employers from discriminating against unpaid interns on the basis of: (1) race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age; or (2) disability if such intern can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

 Applies procedures from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to claims for a violation of this Act.

Authorizes federal courts to grant legal and equitable relief.

Prohibits states from being immune under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action in a federal court for a violation of this Act.

Date: 2015-07-28
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2015

Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include LGBT individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals) within the purview of such Act, particularly their status as LGBT individuals among those with the greatest social need.

Authorizes the Administration of Aging to: (1) designate within it a person with responsibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individuals; (2) conduct studies and collect data to determine the services needed by LGBT older individuals; and (3) establish and operate the National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Aging.

Revises the list of activities of national significance for families and other caregivers, for which the Administration's grants may be used, to specify those provided to individuals with greatest social need which: (1) address physical and mental health, disabilities, and health disparities; (2) provide long-term care, including in-home and community-based care; (3) provide informal care and formal care in a facility setting; (4) provide access to culturally responsive health and human services; and (5) address other gaps in assistance and issues of particular importance to older individuals with the greatest social need.

Requires a State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to collect and analyze discrimination data with respect to LGBT older individuals in the admission to, transfer or discharge from, or lack of adequate care provided in long-term care settings.

Date: 2015-10-21
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Parent Penalty Repeal Act 

 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Social Security Administration to determine and publish in the Federal Register on or before November 1 of each year a revised contribution and benefit base, which shall be effective with respect to remuneration paid in subsequent calendar and taxable years. The bill also revises the formula for determining that base.

The number of an individual's benefit computation years, for the purpose of determining the individual's primary OASDI insurance amount, shall be further reduced (after a specified initial reduction) by the number of the individual's childcare years (not exceeding five), except that not more than two years may be determined to be a childcare year on the basis of the individual's status as a primary caregiver for the same child.

"Childcare year" means an elapsed year of the individual:

 during which the individual is the primary caregiver for a child under age 6, and for which the total of the individual's wages and self-employment income is $0.

Date: 2016-02-10
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Social welfare
Clarification of Federal Employment Protections Act

This bill revises personnel management and merit system requirements that protect certain federal employees against discrimination to include a provision that prohibits personnel actions from being made on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Date: 2016-03-02
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Mandating America's Responsibility To Limit Abuse, Negligence and Depravity Act or the MARTLAND Act

This bill states that it is U.S. policy that human rights violations, including child abuse, shall not be conducted or condoned on any U.S. military installation, whether located in the United States or overseas, by either U.S. citizens or nationals or foreign nationals.

The Department of Defense (DOD) shall submit to Congress a comprehensive plan detailing the procedures by which DOD will implement this policy.

"Military installation" shall include U.S. combat outposts and forward operating locations.

Date: 2016-03-07
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Gender Diversity in Corporate Leadership Act of 2016

This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish a Gender Diversity Advisory Group, composed of government, academic, and private sector representatives, to study strategies to increase gender diversity among the members of the boards of directors of issuers.

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to direct the SEC, by rule, to require each issuer to disclose, in any proxy or consent solicitation material for an annual shareholders meeting, the gender composition of the issuer's board of directors and nominees for it.

Date: 2016-03-07
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act

 (Sec. 3) This bill amends the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act to authorize the National Science Foundation to encourage its entrepreneurial programs to recruit and support women to extend their focus beyond the laboratory and into the commercial world.

Date: 2016-03-15
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016

This bill permanently reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 (Emmett Till Act) and expands the responsibilities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights statutes violations that resulted in a death, regardless of when the violations occurred. (Currently, the Emmett Till Act is scheduled to expire at the end of FY2017 and such investigations are limited to violations that occurred before 1970.)

The bill expresses the sense of Congress that all authorities with jurisdiction should: (1) coordinate information sharing; (2) hold accountable individuals who were perpetrators of, or accomplices in, unsolved civil rights murders; and (3) comply with Freedom of Information Act requests.

In investigating a complaint, DOJ may coordinate activities with entities that DOJ determines to be appropriate.

DOJ shall reopen and review cases closed without an in-person investigation conducted by DOJ or the FBI.

DOJ must establish a task force to conduct a thorough investigation of Emmett Till Act cases.

In an annual report to Congress, DOJ must indicate: (1) the number of cases referred by a civil rights organization, an institution of higher education, or a state or local law enforcement agency; (2) the number of such cases that resulted in federal charges; (3) the date any such charges were filed; (4) whether DOJ has declined to prosecute or participate in an investigation of a referred case; and (5) any activity on reopened cases.

DOJ may award grants to civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities for expenses associated with investigating offenses under the Emmett Till Act.

Date: 2016-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
(This measure has not been amended since it passed the House on September 21, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation or BABIES Act

(Sec. 2) This bill requires restrooms in a public building to be equipped with baby changing facilities that the General Services Administration (GSA) determines are physically safe, sanitary, and appropriate. "Public building" means a public building controlled by the GSA's Public Building Service.

Such requirement shall be subject to any reasonable accommodations that may be made for individuals in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Such requirement shall be inapplicable:

 to a restroom in a public building that is not available or accessible for public use, to a restroom that contains clear and conspicuous signage indicating where a restroom with a baby changing table is located on the same floor of such building, if new construction would be required to install a baby changing facility in the building and the cost of such construction is unfeasible, or to a building not subject to an alteration for which any appropriations must be approved by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Date: 2016-04-29
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Workplace Advancement Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discharging or retaliating against any employee because such employee has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed comparative compensation information for the purpose of determining whether the employer is compensating an employee in a manner that provides equal pay for equal work.

The prohibition does not apply to instances in which an employee who has access to the wage information of other employees as a part of the employee's job functions discloses such wages to an individual who has no access to them, except in response to a charge or complaint or in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action with respect to prohibited sex discrimination, including an investigation conducted by the employer.

Date: 2016-05-13
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment
Prohibiting the Usurpation of Bathroom Laws through Independent Choice School Act (PUBLIC School Act) of 2016

 This bill declares that it shall not be unlawful under federal law for a state or local government to enact or enforce a policy regarding the use of sex-segregated bathrooms or locker rooms of educational institutions on the basis of gender identity. The bill prohibits the reduction or denial of federal financial assistance on the basis that a state or local government enacts or enforces such a policy.

Date: 2016-05-18
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Student Privacy Protection and Safety Act of 2016

This bill invalidates the Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, dated May 13, 2016, that was issued by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to provide guidance to schools receiving federal financial assistance about the treatment of transgender students under the prohibitions against sex discrimination in title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

The invalidation applies until superseded by an Act of Congress that directs federal departments to issue guidance on transgender issues.

Date: 2016-05-19
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Title IX Clarification Act of 2016

This bill amends title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to define "sex" as the biological sex of an individual for purposes of enforcing the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex under education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Date: 2016-05-23
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
LGBT Data Inclusion Act

This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require:

 a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation.

Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.

Date: 2016-05-27
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education.

The office must: (1) provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators, and (2) develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, or age).

The office may award grants to educational entities and partnerships to:

 train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.

Date: 2016-07-07
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Menstrual Products for Employees Act of 2016

This bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by requiring the Department of Labor to issue a rule that requires private employers to provide free menstrual hygiene products for employees in their bathrooms.

Date: 2016-07-18
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment
Menstrual Products for Employees Act

This bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by requiring the Department of Labor to issue a rule that requires each private employer with at least 100 employees to provide free menstrual hygiene products for their employees.

Date: 2016-07-25
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment
Don't Block LGBTQ Act of 2016

This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit elementary schools, secondary schools, or libraries that receive discount rates for telecommunications services under the universal service support program from blocking Internet access to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer resources.

The bill does not prohibit schools or libraries from blocking content that is obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
This bill amends the Small Business Act to revise the Small Business Administration's criteria for awarding a grant to a women's business center to include the ability of the applicant to provide training and services to a representative number of unmarried women who are both socially and economically disadvantaged.

Date: 2016-11-29
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Commerce
Screening With Dignity Act of 2016

This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to:

 develop procedures to appropriately screen self-identified transgender air passengers, and conduct in-person training of all Transportation Security Administration Officers on such procedures. The FAA shall separately study and report on:

 the cost and feasibility of retrofitting advanced image technology screening equipment to distinguish between foreign objects and human body parts; and the disparate impact that such technology has on self-identified transgender passengers as opposed to the general public, including an examination of instances since 2010 in which such passengers were required to undergo a secondary screening after alarming the advanced imaging technology.

Date: 2016-12-01
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Respect for Marriage Act

Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage.

Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Law
State Marriage Defense Act of 2015

Prohibits, for purposes of determining the meaning of any Act of Congress or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies as applied with respect to individuals domiciled in a state or in any other territory or possession of the United States: (1) the term "marriage" from including any relationship that the state, territory, or possession does not recognize as a marriage; and (2) the term "spouse" from including an individual who is a party to a relationship that is not recognized as a marriage by that state, territory, or possession.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Families
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2015

Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates.

Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination.

Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct made unlawful under this Act.

Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them.

Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail.

Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action in any appropriate U.S. district court for a violation of this Act.

Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Education
Jury Access for Capable Citizens and Equality in Service Selection Act of 2015 or the Jury ACCESS Act

Amends the federal judicial code to prohibit the exclusion of citizens from service as a grand or petit juror in U.S. district courts or the Court of International Trade on account of sexual orientation or gender identity (thereby expanding the current prohibition on exclusion on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status).

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Law
Workplace Advancement Act

Prohibits discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on any other factors other than sex.)

 Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discharging or retaliating against any employee because such employee has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed comparative compensation information for the purpose of determining whether the employer is compensating an employee in a manner that provides equal pay for equal work.

Makes such prohibition inapplicable to instances in which an employee who has access to the wage information of other employees as a part of such employee's job functions discloses the wages of such other employees other than in response to a charge or complaint or in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action under provisions prohibiting sex discrimination, including an investigation conducted by the employer.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment
Protect Marriage from the Courts Act of 2015

Prohibits federal courts from having jurisdiction to adjudicate or enforce any claim pertaining to the validity, under the U.S. Constitution, of a state law or a state administrative or judicial decision that: (1) defines marriage as limited to the union of one man and one woman, or (2) refuses state recognition of, or allows the state to refuse recognition of, same-sex marriages performed and licensed in other states.

Allows final judgments entered by federal courts before the enactment of this Act to remain binding on the parties to the case, but persons who are not a party to such a case are not obligated to comply with such decisions.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Law
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2015

Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to expand the categories of prohibited discrimination when extending credit to include discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Currently, such discrimination in credit is prohibited only on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age.)

Provides for such Act to apply whether the basis for certain prohibited forms of discrimination is actual or perceived.

Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.

Date: 2015-05-13
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Pregnancy Discrimination Amendment Act

Amends provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that protect against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace to provide for women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions to be treated the same for all employment-related purposes as any other persons who are applicants for employment with, or employees of, the same employer in work that is performed under similar working conditions and who are not so affected but are similar in their temporary ability or inability to work.

Makes such treatment applicable to existing prohibited categories of employment discrimination on the basis of sex or because of sex.

Prohibits this treatment from permitting a labor organization to cause an employer to commit an unlawful employment practice against an employee in violation of such provisions.

Date: 2015-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same sex couples.

Date: 2015-07-09
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Taxation
LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2015

Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include LGBT individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals) within the purview of such Act, particularly their status as LGBT individuals among those with the greatest social need.

Authorizes the Administration of Aging to: (1) designate within it a person with responsibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individuals; (2) conduct studies and collect data to determine the services needed by LGBT older individuals; and (3) establish and operate the National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Aging.

Revises the list of activities of national significance for families and other caregivers, for which the Administration's grants may be used, to specify those provided to individuals with greatest social need which: (1) address physical and mental health, disabilities, and health disparities; (2) provide long-term care, including in-home and community-based care; (3) provide informal care and formal care in a facility setting; (4) provide access to culturally responsive health and human services; and (5) address other gaps in assistance and issues of particular importance to older individuals with the greatest social need.

Requires a State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to collect and analyze discrimination data with respect to LGBT older individuals in the admission to, transfer or discharge from, or lack of adequate care provided in long-term care settings.

Date: 2015-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Social welfare
Restore Honor to Service Members Act

Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable.

Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable.

Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge.

Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives.

Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member.

Date: 2015-07-15
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Gender Advancement in Pay Act or the GAP Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to expand exceptions to the prohibition against sex discrimination to include payments pursuant to a differential based on expertise, shift, or a business-related factor other than sex, including but not limited to education, training, or experience.

The statute of limitations under the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 for a charge of prohibited sex discrimination, or an action by or on behalf of an employee for such discrimination, shall be tolled until the earlier of: (1) the date on which the Equal Employment Commission or the Department of Justice brings an action or notifies the employee concerned with respect to the charge under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or (2) 270 days after the charge is filed.

Nonretaliation prohibitions are extended to cover inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of an employee or of another employee, or declining to discuss or disclose the employee's wages, with specified exceptions. An employer shall be considered to have committed an unlawful act if the employer requires an employee to sign a contract or waiver (other than as specified) that would prohibit the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages.

Civil penalties are established for violation of prohibitions against sex discrimination.

The Department of Labor, together with the Department of Education, shall conduct a multistate study, through a grant to a nonprofit research institution, that includes strategies to increase the participation of women in high-wage, high-demand occupations and industries in which women are underrepresented.

The Government Accountability Office shall also conduct a multistate study to develop such strategies.

Date: 2015-09-22
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment
Workplace Advancement Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discharging or retaliating against any employee because such employee has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed comparative compensation information for the purpose of determining whether the employer is compensating an employee in a manner that provides equal pay for equal work.

The prohibition does not apply to instances in which an employee who has access to the wage information of other employees as a part of the employee's job functions discloses such wages to an individual who has no access to them, except in response to a charge or complaint or in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action with respect to prohibited sex discrimination, including an investigation conducted by the employer.

It is the sense of Congress that: (1) gender-based discrimination in wages or compensation violates existing law, and (2) Congress recommits itself to the principles of equal pay for equal work.

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Civil Rights (Gender Discrimination)
Subject: Labor and employment