HB 5723 was voted on this past Monday. The next step is for it to go to the House.
This bill would:
•This bill gives the CT Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) the
authority to investigate complaints of discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in employment, education, housing, public accommodations, and the extension of credit and order appropriate remedies if such discrimination is found. It applies the same rules, procedures, and remedies that apply to other types of discrimination.
• The CHRO has already clarified that state law currently protects individuals from discrimination based on gender identity and expression. This bill makes those protections explicit and uniform. This bill will serve to make people protected by the law and those covered by the law aware of their rights and obligations.
• This bill uses the definition of “gender identity or expression” established in Connecticut’s hate crimes law, which passed in 2004 with a vote of 139-4 in the House and 33-0 in the Senate.