Pallone Introduces the Equality Act with Colleagues to End LGBT Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2015


WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) introduced the Equality Act as an original cosponsor of the bill. The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation would apply to public accommodations, federal funding, education, employment, housing, credit, and jury service.

“No one should ever be discriminated against, live in fear of being fired, or be denied equal basic protections under the law because of who they love,” said Congressman Pallone. “As a longtime advocate for LGBT equality, I am proud to help lead the fight to rid our country of this unacceptable discrimination.”

Despite last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affirmed marriage equality, discrimination against LGBT individuals remains legal in most states. For example, today, only 19 states offer employment and housing protections for the LGBT community. Furthermore, just 17 states prohibit discrimination for public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Among Pallone’s ongoing efforts for full LGBT equality, he has long-urged government action against LGBT discrimination in the workplace. He led letters in Congress asking the President to sign an executive order that would require any company seeking a federal contract to have adopted workplace policies against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In 2014, the President heeded the call and extended protections to LGBT workers.

A Sense of History

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter

July 20th marked the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The idea of going to the moon was daring and maybe even quixotic, but true to our traditional American character: thoroughly optimistic.

A sense of our history helps us understand whether we are making progress in things like science, research, protecting the environment, and the humanities, but it also helps us understand whether we are making progress as a country. In some ways, yes. We are conducting some of the most ingenious research that is helping people understand our universe. We are making in America some of the most innovative things that are sought after, even essential in the modern world. But with a sense of history we must also ask: are we true today to our traditional American character? Specifically, I find myself asking, is Congress staying true to that American tradition of optimism?

Think about the Morrill Act of 1862, which established out nation’s land grant college system, including Rutgers University, to advance research, agriculture, and commerce. In 1863, President Lincoln also signed the law creating the National Academy of Sciences, chartered not just as an honorific, but as a working agency to help the country grow in a smart way. Both were passed at a very difficult time – during the Civil War – when it was not obvious that the country could afford to do so.

These creations were optimistic – as were the GI Bill and the Civil Rights Act, about which I have written to you recently, and so many other public programs. The history of the U.S. is a history of enormous economic, social, technological, and cultural optimism. Our indisputable success as a nation over two centuries shows that our optimism has been well justified, and a good case can be made that American optimism has a lot to do with American success. I still find among most Americans that traditional optimism, despite some economic hard times, but our government at present does not match that optimism. I regret that so much of the talk in Washington is about what we cannot do, what our deficit - or our obsessions with it - will not allow us to do. Just imagine if at this time of near-zero interest rates, we invested boldly in education, infrastructure, and research! (From my remarks at a reception earlier this month.)

Supporting Our First Responders

Last week, I successfully assisted Fire District No. 1 in Franklin Township, Somerset County, in securing a $450,242 federal grant to replace outdated firefighting equipment.

I often visit with local first responders and see firsthand how important it is that they have the right training and equipment to keep us safe. Saying "thanks" to firefighters is only part of the support they need. Equipment and training take money.

Upcoming Academy Nomination Deadline

America’s military service academies provide a four-year college education, with full scholarship, to young men and women who pledge to serve as the next generation of leaders in the U.S. military services. I am currently accepting application for upcoming academy nominations, and welcome applicants from all areas of the 12th District. The information packet and application form are available on my website, and October 1, 2014 is the deadline to submit all materials. For questions and additional information, please email Zainab Chaudary on my staff at Zainab.Chaudary@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

To Form a More Perfect Union

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the strongest, most comprehensive legislation enacted to bring racial, ethnic, and sexual equality to schools, voting booths, and businesses. The most notable provision of the law was the requirement that businesses serving the public, called public accommodations, must be desegregated. Almost everyone in our country recognizes the importance of that law, and few would seek to reverse its effect on American society. 

Fifty years ago, as a teenager, I was fortunate to work as a messenger page in the Senate when the Civil Right Act was passed, and I listened intently and closely as the bill was debated in the chamber. It gave me a chance to reflect on one of the central questions of our country. I recall opponents, mostly southern segregationists, some of them quite eloquent, arguing that the public accommodations provision was un-American, unconstitutional, and an infringement of individual rights. Since 1875, the Supreme Court had maintained, and most people had not questioned, that owners of businesses serving the public could run those businesses as they pleased. The inn was the province of the innkeeper. The bus was the property of the bus company. The proprietors went into business to offer the services they wanted to offer to the people they chose to serve. With the landmark Civil Rights law, the argument that won decisively in Congress was that it was the segregationist attitude that was un-American and probably unconstitutional. The prerogatives of the individual proprietors of public accommodations, even if they were very local and not interstate businesses, were secondary to the public good. This was hugely important. In our on-going effort to form a more perfect union of diverse states and diverse peoples, the public good must be observed, and public accommodations cannot discriminate against any ordinary citizens in good standing, even against the personal preferences of the owners. Although many remnants of our country's racist past remain to be overcome, it is remarkable that the Civil Rights Law is thoroughly integrated into our jurisprudence and our lives. It was, I think, a powerful reaffirmation of how and why we pulled together as a country. We are stronger, fairer, and more ethical as a result. However, that was not clear to everyone at the time of the 1964 debate.

In light of last week's decisions from the Supreme Court, I wonder if soon it will be recognized that, for example, the public good is served when any and all women have complete healthcare coverage and are not denied by the personal preferences of a business owner, and when workers are given equal standing to bargain collectively with business owners. It certainly could be argued, and has been argued, that business proprietors can run their businesses as they chose. The Public Accommodations Act is one strong example that the public good, at least sometimes, trumps. 

Visiting the Capitol

Last week, I attended a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda commemorating Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. There the sculptured bust of Rev. King faced directly across from the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Nearby is a statue of Rosa Parks, sitting as she famously sat on the Montgomery bus. The collection of art and sculpture at the Capitol represents notable events and individuals from American history, and includes statues of two distinguished New Jerseyans: Richard Stockton and Philip Kearny. Stockton was notable as a Declaration of Independence signer, and a fresco in the Capitol Rotunda depicts that moment on June 28, 1776, when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Constitutional Congress. Philip Kearny had a rich military career, serving as a brigadier general with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, and lost his life at the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia, in 1862. A portion of the Frieze of American History, also in the Rotunda, pays tribute in "Peace at the End of the Civil War."

The Capitol reminds us of the rich history of this great nation, and it is this history that should continue to guide us as we continue our endless journey to form a more perfect union.

You can learn more about the art and architecture of the Capitol here. You can also learn more about the history at the United States Capitol Historical Society’s website. However, the Capitol is best experienced in person with a guided tour. My office can assist with booking tours of the White House, Capitol Building, and other D.C. sites, and you can schedule a tour by visiting my website. I recommend the Capitol tour most of all....

Letter: Commission’s dissolution has erosive effect

The following letter appears today online at the Independent:

On the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Civil Rights Act, the American people can celebrate the progress that has been made in seeing the equality of all citizens. Although there is much more work needed, the foundation has been laid for generations to come.

In 1968, in response to the Civil Rights Act, Middletown Township set the precedent by being the first township to form a Human Rights Commission. Over the years, this all-volunteer body has contributed to various successes in the fields of public access, employee relations and the equal treatment of everyone.

In recent years, the Middletown Township Committee has neglected to appoint members to this commission and has discouraged the existing members from participating, leading to member resignations. Essentially, the governing body has decided that there is no need for a Human Rights Commission in Middletown and that they themselves can address any concerns a resident may have.


The Township Committee unanimously introduced and adopted an ordinance to abolish the Middletown Human Rights Commission. This shameful act of disregard of public participation in local government is appalling. The very premise of volunteerism, which our township thrives on, is being eroded by this dissolution. One can only speculate as to what will be the next thing that the Township Committee will remove to distance them from the residents.

Don Watson
New Monmouth