(CNN) – The House has passed the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect people from being discriminated based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and other services as well as access to public accommodations such as restaurants.
The final vote was 224-206. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the bill. Reps. John Katko, Tom Reed, and Brian Fitzpatrick voted with Democrats on this vote and did so when the legislation passed in the House in 2019 as well. When the bill passed the House floor in 2019, eight Republicans joined Democrats to vote for the legislation.
Advocates for the LGTBQ community argue the legislation will help protect people in states where it’s legal to discriminate against people and add the law is long overdue.
The House first passed the Equality Act in 2019, but now its passage comes under Democratic control with President Joe Biden in the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announcing Thursday he already intends to bring this legislation to the floor. FULL REPORT
