NAM Welcomes House Judiciary Committee Markup of Equality Act
Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers released the following statement on the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of the Equality Act (H.R. 5):
The Equality Act creates a clear federal standard that matches the sentiments manufacturers already share: gender identity and sexual orientation have no impact on an employee’s abilities, and discrimination is not welcome on the manufacturing floor, said NAM Vice President of Labor, Legal and Regulatory Policy Patrick Hedren. This bill’s basic approach of including protections under the existing framework of the Civil Rights Act is sensible. By making these protections consistent with those for other protected classes, it takes advantage of decades of judicial precedent to provide as much clarity as possible to the businesses that must ultimately comply.
In March, the NAM joined more than 40 other business trade associations in support of the Equality Act, and the list of support has since grown. In April, the NAM testified in support of the legislation before the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services.
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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.