A Pennsylvania lawmaker plans to reintroduce a bill that would ban discrimination against LGBT people across the state. The bill’s list of cosponsors has already surpassed the number of lawmakers who supported the legislation when it was first introduced last session.
Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.) has thus far enlisted the signatures of 73 cosponsors for the legislation, which would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Such laws already exist in Philadelphia and 13 other Pennsylvania counties but not at a statewide level.
Melissa Lewis, a research analyst with Frankel’s office, said that while the lawmaker has not yet introduced the bill, he did secure a bill number: HB 300.
“We did reserve a bill number already, and we’ve been having some meetings and discussing when is the best time to reintroduce it,” Lewis said.
Frankel introduced the same legislation in June 2007 with 70 cosponsors. The bill, HB 1400, was referred to the House State Government Committee, which held a series of public hearings on the legislation in fall 2007.
Some committeemembers attempted to table the bill in September 2008, but that motion failed. The committee’s chair, Rep. Babette Josephs (D-182nd Dist.), a strong supporter of the legislation, chose not to pursue a committee vote on the bill, as she was unsure if lawmakers who’d pledged to back the legislation would actually follow through with a vote.
Before it died in committee, HB 1400 had garnered 79 cosponsors, the highest amount of support ever given to a pro-LGBT bill. The companion Senate bill garnered 22 of 50 possible cosponsors.
Lewis said Frankel and the bill’s other prime sponsors are now canvassing for support and might wait until they’ve secured more cosponsors before introducing the bill.
“We want to make sure we have a good list of cosponsors before introducing it,” Lewis said. “We were hoping to target between 70 and 80 cosponsors, so we’re going to shop it around and hopefully get a few more and see where we’re headed. We’re not sure exactly when it’ll be introduced, but it will be soon.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].