Lupinacci, Colleagues Offer Critical Components Of Women's Equality Agenda

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,WF,I-Huntington Station) today joined members of the Assembly Minority Conference to introduce nine individual pieces of legislation that promote and advance critical components of the New York State Women’s Equality Agenda. The Women’s Equality Act was proposed in 2013, but failed to become law after the two houses of the legislature could not reach an agreement.

“Today the Assembly Majority again put forward an omnibus bill that bundles 10 pieces of the Women’s Equality Act into one. With the Senate continuing to lack the necessary votes to pass all ten pieces of the agenda, it is absolutely critical that we vote on the nine other pieces individually so that the governor may sign this landmark legislation,” said Lupinacci. “We cannot continue to treat women’s equality and equal protection under the law as a political game where one side wins and one side loses. The only ones who lose then are New York’s women. I’m proud to sponsor legislation which would modify and update the laws surrounding restraining orders. In the meantime, I strongly urge my colleagues in the Assembly Majority to put forward each of the 10 pieces individually as we have presented them today and allow them to be passed on their individual merits.”

In 2013, Gov. Cuomo introduced the Women’s Equality Act and called for separate provisions to be brought to the floors of each chamber. The Senate introduced and passed nine separate women’s equality bills. However, the Assembly Majority introduced a single bill – eliminating any chance for measures to be enacted in 2013. 

The nine bills introduced today by members of the Assembly Minority Conference were passed in the Senate last year, and must pass both houses in 2014 to become law. They include:

· Restraining Orders - S.5877 - Specifies that the protected party in whose favor an order of protection or temporary order of protection is issued may not be held to violate that order. Sponsor: Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,WF,I-Huntington Station)

· Prohibiting Housing Discrimination - S.5876 - Prohibits housing discrimination based upon a person’s status as a domestic violence victim and establishes a task force to study the impact of source of income upon access to housing. Sponsor: Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R,C,I-Brooklyn, Staten Island)

· Attorney’s Fees In Discrimination Cases - S.5874 - Awards attorney’s fees to the prevailing party in housing, credit and employment discrimination where the discrimination was done on the basis of sex. Sponsor: Assemblyman Joe Borelli (R,C,I-South Shore)

· Pay Equity - S.5872 - Enacts pay equity provisions designed to strengthen equal pay protections for women in the workplace. Sponsor: Assemblyman John Ceretto (R,C,I-Lewiston)

· Sexual Harassment - S.5873 - Applies sexual harassment protections in the law to all organizations of any size. Sponsor: Assemblywoman Jane Corwin (R,C,I-Clarence)

· Familial Status Discrimination - S.5875 - Adds familial status to the list of classes protected and covered by the Human Rights Law. Sponsor: Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R,C,I-Melrose)

· Electronic Hearings for Temporary Restraining Orders - S.5878 - Authorizes the establishment of a pilot program for the filing of petitions for temporary orders of protection by electronic means. Sponsor: Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)

· Human Trafficking - S.5879 - Enacts the Human Trafficking Victims Protection & Justice Act, creating new crimes, strengthening penalties and protecting victims. Sponsor: Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney (R,C,I-New Hartford)

· Pregnancy-Related Employment Accommodations - S.5880 - Classifies pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions as temporary disabilities as defined within the Human Rights Law. Sponsor: Assemblyman Ray Walter (R,C,I-Amherst)