Sacramento – Today the Equal Benefits Bill (SB 117), which strengthens the state’s current equal benefits law, passed the Senate Governmental Organization committee in a 7-5 vote. Authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, the bill adds a provision barring the state from entering into contracts with businesses and other entities that do not provide equal benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.
In 2003, the State Legislature passed a bill authored by then-Assemblymember Kehoe and sponsored by Equality California that prohibited discrimination in benefits between employees with spouses and employees with registered domestic partners.
“This bill will prohibit taxpayer dollars from being used to buy goods or services from entities that discriminate against their same-sex married employees,” said Geoff Kors, Equality California Executive Director. “California has the led the way in equal benefits and this bill will help make certain that all legally recognized couples are treated equally under California law.”
Beginning in 1996 in San Francisco, Equality California leadership has been working with city councils and the California legislature to pass equal benefits ordinances. Since then, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, San Mateo County and San Diego have adopted such ordinances, as did the State of California in 2003 when Equality California sponsored a bill introduced by then-Assemblymember Christine Kehoe. Other cities with similar ordinances, include Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Miami Beach.
“SB117 is in keeping with California’s long tradition of providing equal benefits for all,” said Senator Kehoe. “It levels the playing field for companies that do business with the state. The bill ensures that employees who work for businesses that contract with the state are not discriminated against because they are married to a same-sex spouse.”
It is estimated that thousands of businesses and other entities now offer equal benefits as a direct result of these laws, including automobile companies, most airlines and many Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed more than 70 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org
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