Federal Legislation
The Human Rights Campaign, along with tens of thousands of advocates, works around the clock to lobby members of Congress on critical legislation that would greatly affect the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.
For a quick view of all legislation HRC lobbies on in Congress and to find out where your representative and senators stand on the issues, visit this page.
The Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009
Under current law, millions of lesbian and gay Americans in committed, long-term relationships are unable to take leave to care for their same-sex partner. Additionally, many families that do qualify for FMLA coverage cannot afford to take unpaid leave.
National Day of Silence Resolution
This resolution honors the National Day of Silence, a day in which students take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools, including students, teachers, and other school staff. The Day of Silence is coordinated nationally by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and this year is being held on April 17, 2009.
Employment Non-Discrimination Act H.R. 3017
Fairness in the workplace has been recognized as a fundamental right protected under federal law. Currently, federal law provides basic legal protection against employment discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin or disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity and gender expression.
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act / Matthew Shepard Act
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act / Matthew Shepard Act gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the department with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Safe Schools Improvement Act
Bullying and harassment of students who are, or are perceived to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) is widespread. While current federal law provides important support to promote school safety, it does not comprehensively and expressly focus on issues of bullying or harassment, and in no way addresses the challenges faced by LGBT youth in our nation’s schools.
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass” — the current U.S. policy on gays in the military — is the only law in the country that forces people to be dishonest about their personal lives or be fired or possibly imprisoned.
The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act
This bill would provide domestic partnership benefits to all federal civilian employees on the same basis as spousal benefits. These benefits, available for both same- and opposite-sex domestic partners of federal employees, would include participation in applicable retirement programs, compensation for work injuries and life and health insurance benefits.
Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act
Currently, the Internal Revenue Code excludes from income the value of employer-provided insurance premiums and benefits received by employees for coverage of an employee’s spouse and dependents, but does not extend this treatment to coverage of domestic partners or other persons who do not qualify as a “dependent” (such as certain grown children living at home who are covered under a parent’s plan or children who receive coverage through a grandparent or parent’s domestic partner).
The Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act
The Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act would expand the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to permit an employee to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave from work if his or her domestic partner or same-sex spouse has a serious health condition.
Uniting American Families Act
Approximately 75 percent of the 1 million green cards or immigrant visas are issued to family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. However, the Immigration and Nationality Act’s current definition of "family" does not include same-sex partners.
Responsible Education About Life Act
The Responsible Education About Life Act would provide $206 million per year in grants to states for the purpose of conducting comprehensive sexuality education programs.
Early Treatment for HIV Act
The Early Treatment for HIV Act would permit state Medicaid programs to cover low-income, HIV- positive Americans before they develop AIDS. The act would amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide states with the option of covering low-income HIV infected individuals as “categorically needy.”
Appropriations for HIV/AIDS Programs
We must make combating HIV/AIDS a priority by harnessing all possible resources to prevent new infections, provide meaningful access to quality care and treatment, boost research to find a cure and address the global crisis.