Senate, on Party-Line Vote, Gives Final OK to Expansion of Anti-Discrimination Law

A Senate divided by party affiliation gave final approval Monday to a bill that would extend the state's current protections against discrimination on the basis of disability, marital status, religion, gender, age, nationality and race to gay and lesbian Coloradans.

SB 200 passed on a 20-15 vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.

The measure, which is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, also harmonizes the existing anti-discrimination laws to ensure that all classifications are covered equally.

Senate Gives Preliminary Nod to Expansion of Sexual Preference Discrimination Ban

The Senate, after a heated and emotional argument over a Republican attempt to equate discrimination against short people with discrimination against gay men and women, gave preliminary approval this morning to a measure that would expand the scope of the state's ban on sexual preference discrimination.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, introduced an amendment aimed at preventing private sector discrimination on the basis of height, which provoked a tempestuous, and at times heated, exchange. Brophy argued that gay people don't face different treatment in any area of public life.

“What I’m talking about is economic discrimination, political discrimination, employment discrimination,” Brophy said. “I find no pattern of any of those.”

That statement prompted strong responses from several Senate Democrats.

“It must be nice, as a white male, to sit back and mock the real discrimination that occurs in our society, especially on the basis of sexual orientation,” Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said.

And Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, recounted how his son, who is gay, felt compelled to leave Colorado to practice law because he did not believe he would have a fair chance to succeed in this state.

Senate president Peter Groff of Denver also indicated that he was displeased by Brophy's comments.

“Discrimination is a practice that has gone on in this country too long,” Groff said. “It is the birth defect of this country. And I think it’s time we deal with that.”

SB 200 would expand the reach of existing state law preventing discrimination on the basis of race and gender, among other demographic characteristics, in a wide variety of areas, including in housing, places of public accommodation, consumer credit, labor unions and school enrollment, to cover sexual preference.

Last year the General Assembly enacted, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a measure that prohibits private employers from making job-related decisions on the basis of a person's sexual preference.

The bill faces a final vote in the Senate before moving on to the House.

Brophy withdrew his amendment before the second reading voice vote took place this morning.

Bill Expanding Ban on Discrimination Against Gays Introduced

A bill that would expand the state's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual preference has been introduced in the Senate.

SB 200, by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, would mandate equal treatment in housing, public accommodations, credit decisions and many other areas, including:

* Membership in labor organizations;
* Inclusion in public works projects;
* Issuance of a license to practice law;
* Sales of cemetery plots
* Determination of whether expenses paid at or to a club that
has a policy to restrict membership are tax deductible;
* The provision of funeral services;
* Enrollment or classification of students at private
occupational schools;
* Eligibility for jury service;
* Enrollment in a charter school, institute charter school,
public school, or pilot school for expelled students;
* Written local school boards of education policies regarding
employment, promotion, and dismissal;
* The assignment or transfer of a public school teacher;
* Leasing portions of the grounds of or improvements on the
grounds of the Colorado state university - Pueblo and the
Colorado school of mines;
* Employment in state personnel system;
* The provision of adequate hospital facilities;
* Availability of family planning services;
* Employment practices of county departments of social
services involving selection, retention, and promotion of
employees;
* Participation in the managed care program under the
children’s basic health plan;
* Making or committing to make a housing facility loan by
the Colorado housing and finance authority; and
* Imposition of a discriminatory occupancy requirement on
charitable property for which the owner is claiming an
exemption from property taxes based on the charitable use
of the property.

The bill would apply to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered individuals. It also extends the provisions summarized above to other categories, including sex,
marital status, disability, age, national origin, ancestry, and religion.

Last year the General Assembly approved, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a bill that prohibits discrimination against people in those categories in employment decisions.