H.R. 5 · 117th Congress

Equality Act

Introduced on Feb 18, 2021 by David N. Cicilline (D-RI-1). 224 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Mar 17, 2021): Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Feb 18, 2021
Cosponsors
224
0 from the other party
Policy area
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
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Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Civil actions and liability
  • Consumer credit
  • Due process and equal protection
  • Elementary and secondary education
  • Employment discrimination and employee rights
  • Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
  • Higher education
  • Housing discrimination
  • Judicial procedure and administration
  • Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
  • Religion
  • Retail and wholesale trades
  • Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
  • Sports and recreation facilities

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Feb 25, 2021). Public domain.

Equality Act

This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.

The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services.

The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

David N. CicillineD-RI-1Sponsor

Democrats · 224

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Passage
    Feb 25, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 224–206
  2. Table Motion to Reconsider
    Feb 25, 2021· House· Procedural· Passed 211–195

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Feb 18, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Feb 18, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Feb 18, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  4. Feb 18, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  5. Feb 18, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  6. Feb 18, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  7. Feb 18, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  8. Feb 23, 2021 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 147 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 803 and H.R. 5. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 803 and one motion to recommit. Rule provides for 90 minutes of general debate on H.R. 5 and one motion to recommit.
  9. Feb 24, 2021 · HouseRule H. Res. 147 passed House.
  10. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 147. (consideration: CR H633-661)
  11. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseRule provides for consideration of H.R. 803 and H.R. 5. Rule provides for 1 hour of general debate on H.R. 803 and one motion to recommit. Rule provides for 90 minutes of general debate on H.R. 5 and one motion to recommit.
  12. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with 90 minutes of debate on H.R. 5.
  13. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  14. Feb 25, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 224 - 206 (Roll no. 39).(text: CR H634-637)House · Roll call 39
  15. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 224 - 206 (Roll no. 39). (text: CR H634-637)House · Roll call 39
  16. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseMr. Kildee moved to reconsider.
  17. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseMr. Cicilline moved to table the motion to reconsider
  18. Feb 25, 2021 · HouseTable the motion to reconsider Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 211 - 195 (Roll no. 40).House · Roll call 40
  19. Mar 1, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate.
  20. Mar 2, 2021 · SenateRead the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
  21. Mar 2, 2021 · SenateRead the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 9.
  22. Mar 17, 2021 · SenateCommittee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. ACCENTURE INC.2 reports
    Federal contractor: ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC$3.2B in contracts, FY2026AI match · 97%

Reports filed in 2023.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.