Democrats confident 'The Equality Act' will become law

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – Democrats are confident that the first federal protections for LGBTQ Americans against discrimination are within reach.

The House has once again passsed “The Equality Act” which would expand federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces, federal funding, and jury service.

The same act passed the Democratic-controlled House in 2019 but stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. But Democrats are now in the majority in both chambers and President Biden is eager to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said, “In over half the states of the union LGBTQ Americans can be married in the morning, ejected from a restaurant at lunch, denied a mortgage or dismissed from a jury in the afternoon, evicted from their house at night.”

The bill passed the House by a vote of 224 to 206 with three Republicans voting with the Democrats.

The bill is supported by organizations ranging from the US Chamber of Commerce to the ACLU.