With a stroke of his pen Thursday, Mayor Michael Nutter finalized the strengthening of the city’s nondiscrimination law.
City Councilman Bill Greenlee’s bill to update the Fair Practice Ordinance received unanimous approval from council earlier this month. The new law is the first complete overhaul the legislation has received in 60 years — it revises language to ensure it is in line with state and federal laws, eases restrictions on the same-sex life partnership registry and heightens fines for violations of the LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination law from $300 to $2,000, among myriad other stipulations.
The new law is considered especially critical for the LGBT community, which is one of the protected classes not afforded nondiscrimination protections at the state or federal level.
During the signing, the mayor was flanked by lawmakers and members of the Human Relations Commission, which enforces the Fair Practices Ordinance, including out chair Rue Landau (far left).
— Jen Colletta