State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-1st Dist.) last week introduced a bill that would ban LGBT discrimination at the state level.
Farnese’s SB 910 would amend the state Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodations and housing.
The measure has been introduced to the state legislature for a number of years but has repeatedly stalled.
Cosponsors include Sens. Pat Browne (R-16th Dist.), Wayne Fontana (D-42nd Dist.), Daylin Leach (D-17th Dist.), Jay Costa (D-43rd Dist.), Anthony Williams (D-8th Dist.) and Christine Tartaglione (D-2nd Dist.).
A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.), who has spearheaded the House version for a number of years, said the representative plans to reintroduce his measure at the end of this month.
Farnese said he had hoped to introduce the bill last session, under the Democratic-led administration, but that the “political will wasn’t there.”
The measure was last introduced in the Senate in 2007, where it died in committee.
Although the Senate is now held by Republicans, Farnese said he thinks the bill can gain momentum this session.
“One of the first cosponsors on the bill is Pat Browne. So we already have bipartisan support here, and I commend him for joining me on this,” he said. “I think there’s going to be discussion about the bill and I think there’s going to be the usual rhetoric but, at the end of the day, I believe the will is there on both sides of the aisle to really close a loophole that many of us believe unjustly exists right now.”
Farnese called it “unthinkable” that state law lacks protections for LGBTs.
The current Human Relations Act bans discrimination based on race, color, familial status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, handicap and national origin.
He said updating the law to extend to the LGBT community would make the state more attractive to potential residents and workers.
“I think Pennsylvania needs to catch up with other states, especially our sister states who have address this head-on and put a stop to this baseless discrimination. It sends a very bad message that here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we don’t have a very strong and well-positioned antidiscrimination policy. We want people to come to Pennsylvania and to raise families in Pennsylvania. We welcome everyone here in the Commonwealth, and this bill reflects that.”
Farnese said he is unsure whether Republican Gov. Tom Corbett would sign the bill if it were to reach his desk, and a call to the governor by PGN was not returned.
“All my bill will do is just create protections that are broader, and I don’t know if the governor will sign it but I sincerely hope so.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].