I 118THCONGRESS 1 STSESSION H. R. 15 To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE21, 2023 Mr. T AKANO(for himself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. ALLRED, Mr. A UCHINCLOSS, Ms. BALINT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA, Mr. B EYER, Mr. BISHOPof Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT R OCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. BOYLEof Pennsylvania, Ms. B ROWN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. BUSH, Ms. CARAVEO, Mr. C ARBAJAL, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTERof Louisiana, Mr. C ARTWRIGHT, Mr. CASAR, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. CASTORof Florida, Mr. C ASTROof Texas, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CHU, Ms. C LARKof Massachusetts, Ms. CLARKEof New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. C LYBURN, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CORREA, Mr. COSTA, Mr. C OURTNEY, Ms. CRAIG, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. CROW, Mr. CUELLAR, Ms. D AVIDSof Kansas, Mr. DAVISof Illinois, Mr. DAVISof North Caro- lina, Ms. D EANof Pennsylvania, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. D ELBENE, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. DOG- GETT, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. F LETCHER, Mr. FOSTER, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Ms. LOISFRANKELof Florida, Mr. F ROST, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. GARCIAof Texas, Mr. R OBERTGARCIAof California, Mr. GARCI´Aof Illinois, Ms. PEREZ, Mr. G OLDENof Maine, Mr. GOLDMANof New York, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. V ICENTEGONZALEZof Texas, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GREENof Texas, Mr. G RIJALVA, Mr. HARDERof California, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HIGGINSof New York, Mr. H IMES, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. HOYER, Ms. H OYLEof Oregon, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. IVEY, Mr. JACKSONof North Carolina, Mr. J ACKSONof Illinois, Ms. JACKSONLEE, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. J AYAPAL, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. JOHNSONof Georgia, Ms. KAMLAGER- D OVE, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KEATING, Ms. KELLYof Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. K ILDEE, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIMof New Jersey, Mr. K RISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr. LARSENof Wash- ington, Mr. L ARSONof Connecticut, Ms. LEEof California, Ms. LEEof Pennsylvania, Ms. L EEof Nevada, Ms. LEGERFERNANDEZ, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. L IEU, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. MANNING, Ms. M ATSUI, Mrs. MCBATH, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. M CGARVEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. MENG, VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 15 IH Mr. MFUME, Ms. MOOREof Wisconsin, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. M OULTON, Mr. MRVAN, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLI- TANO, Mr. NEAL, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. NICKEL, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NOR- TON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. P APPAS, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Mrs. PELTOLA, Mr. P ETERS, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. P OCAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. R ASKIN, Ms. ROSS, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. RYAN, Mr. S ABLAN, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. S CHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHOLTEN, Ms. S CHRIER, Mr. SCOTTof Virginia, Mr. DAVIDSCOTTof Georgia, Ms. SE- WELL, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. SMITHof Wash- ington, Mr. S ORENSEN, Mr. SOTO, Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. STANSBURY, Mr. S TANTON, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. SWALWELL, Mrs. S YKES, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSONof California, Mr. THOMPSONof Mississippi, Ms. T ITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mr. T ORRESof New York, Mrs. TORRESof California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. T RONE, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VASQUEZ, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. V ELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WASSERMANSCHULTZ, Ms. WATERS, Mrs. WATSON C OLEMAN, Ms. WEXTON, Ms. WILD, Ms. WILLIAMSof Georgia, and Ms. W ILSONof Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Financial Services, House Administration, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently deter- mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equality Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 5 (a) F INDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 15 IH (1) Discrimination can occur on the basis of the 1 sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, 2 childbirth, or a related medical condition of an indi-3 vidual, as well as because of sex-based stereotypes. 4 Each of these factors alone can serve as the basis 5 for discrimination, and each is a form of sex dis-6 crimination. 7 (2) A single instance of discrimination may 8 have more than one basis. For example, discrimina-9 tion against a married same-sex couple could be 10 based on the sex stereotype that marriage should 11 only be between heterosexual couples, the sexual ori-12 entation of the two individuals in the couple, or 13 both. In addition, some persons are subjected to dis-14 crimination based on a combination or the intersec-15 tion of multiple protected characteristics. Discrimi-16 nation against a pregnant lesbian could be based on 17 her sex, her sexual orientation, her pregnancy, or on 18 the basis of multiple factors. 19 (3) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 20 queer (referred to as ‘‘LGBTQ’’) people commonly 21 experience discrimination in securing access to pub-22 lic accommodations—including restaurants, senior 23 centers, stores, places of or establishments that pro-24 vide entertainment, health care facilities, shelters, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 15 IH government offices, youth service providers including 1 adoption and foster care providers, and transpor-2 tation. Forms of discrimination include the exclusion 3 and denial of entry, unequal or unfair treatment, 4 harassment, and violence. This discrimination pre-5 vents the full participation of LGBTQ people in so-6 ciety and disrupts the free flow of commerce. 7 (4) Women also have faced discrimination in 8 many establishments such as stores and restaurants, 9 and places or establishments that provide other 10 goods or services, such as entertainment or transpor-11 tation, including sexual harassment, differential pric-12 ing for substantially similar products and services, 13 and denial of services because they are pregnant or 14 breastfeeding. 15 (5) Many employers already and continue to 16 take proactive steps, beyond those required by some 17 States and localities, to ensure they are fostering 18 positive and respectful cultures for all employees. 19 Many places of public accommodation also recognize 20 the economic imperative to offer goods and services 21 to as many consumers as possible. 22 (6) Regular and ongoing discrimination against 23 LGBTQ people, as well as women, in accessing pub-24 lic accommodations contributes to negative social 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 15 IH and economic outcomes, and in the case of public ac-1 commodations operated by State and local govern-2 ments, abridges individuals’ constitutional rights. 3 (7) The discredited practice known as ‘‘conver-4 sion therapy’’ is a form of discrimination that harms 5 LGBTQ people by undermining individuals’ sense of 6 self worth, increasing suicide ideation and substance 7 abuse, exacerbating family conflict, and contributing 8 to second-class status. 9 (8) Both LGBTQ people and women face wide-10 spread discrimination in employment and various 11 services, including by entities that receive Federal fi-12 nancial assistance. Such discrimination— 13 (A) is particularly troubling and inappro-14 priate for programs and services funded wholly 15 or in part by the Federal Government; 16 (B) undermines national progress toward 17 equal treatment regardless of sex, sexual ori-18 entation, or gender identity; and 19 (C) is inconsistent with the constitutional 20 principle of equal protection under the Four-21 teenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 22 United States. 23 (9) Federal courts have widely recognized that, 24 in enacting the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congress 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 15 IH validly invoked its powers under the Fourteenth 1 Amendment to provide a full range of remedies in 2 response to persistent, widespread, and pervasive 3 discrimination by both private and government ac-4 tors. 5 (10) Discrimination by State and local govern-6 ments on the basis of sexual orientation or gender 7 identity in employment, housing, and public accom-8 modations, and in programs and activities receiving 9 Federal financial assistance, violates the Equal Pro-10 tection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the 11 Constitution of the United States. In many cir-12 cumstances, such discrimination also violates other 13 constitutional rights such as those of liberty and pri-14 vacy under the due process clause of the Fourteenth 15 Amendment. 16 (11) Individuals who are LGBTQ, or are per-17 ceived to be LGBTQ, have been subjected to a his-18 tory and pattern of persistent, widespread, and per-19 vasive discrimination on the bases of sexual orienta-20 tion and gender identity by both private sector and 21 Federal, State, and local government actors, includ-22 ing in employment, housing, and public accommoda-23 tions, and in programs and activities receiving Fed-24 eral financial assistance. This discrimination inflicts 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 15 IH a range of tangible and intangible harms, sometimes 1 even including serious physical injury or death. An 2 explicit and comprehensive national solution is need-3 ed to address this discrimination, including the full 4 range of remedies available under the Civil Rights 5 Act of 1964. 6 (12) Discrimination based on sexual orientation 7 includes discrimination based on an individual’s ac-8 tual or perceived romantic, emotional, physical, or 9 sexual attraction to other persons, or lack thereof, 10 on the basis of gender. LGBTQ people, including 11 gender nonbinary people, also commonly experience 12 discrimination because of sex-based stereotypes. 13 Many people are subjected to discrimination because 14 of others’ perceptions or beliefs regarding their sex-15 ual orientation. Even if these perceptions are incor-16 rect, the identity imputed by others forms the basis 17 of discrimination. 18 (13) Numerous provisions of Federal law ex-19 pressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, 20 and Federal courts and agencies have correctly in-21 terpreted these prohibitions on sex discrimination to 22 include discrimination based on sexual orientation, 23 gender identity, and sex stereotypes. In particular, 24 the Supreme Court of the United States correctly 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 15 IH held in Bostock v. Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. 1731 1 (2020) that the prohibition on employment discrimi-2 nation because of sex under title VII of the Civil 3 Rights Act of 1964 inherently includes discrimina-4 tion because of sexual orientation or transgender 5 status. 6 (14) This Act makes explicit that existing Fed-7 eral statutes prohibiting sex discrimination in em-8 ployment (including in access to benefits), 9 healthcare, housing, education, credit, and jury serv-10 ice also prohibit sexual orientation and gender iden-11 tity discrimination. 12 (15) LGBTQ people often face discrimination 13 when seeking to rent or purchase housing, as well as 14 in every other aspect of obtaining and maintaining 15 housing. LGBTQ people in same-sex relationships 16 are often discriminated against when two names as-17 sociated with one gender appear on a housing appli-18 cation, and transgender people often encounter dis-19 crimination when credit checks or inquiries reveal a 20 former name. 21 (16) National surveys, including a study com-22 missioned by the Department of Housing and Urban 23 Development, show that housing discrimination 24 against LGBTQ people is very prevalent. For in-25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 15 IH stance, when same-sex couples inquire about housing 1 that is available for rent, they are less likely to re-2 ceive positive responses from landlords. A national 3 matched-pair testing investigation found that nearly 4 one-half of same-sex couples had encountered ad-5 verse, differential treatment when seeking elder 6 housing. According to other studies, transgender 7 people have half the homeownership rate of non- 8 transgender people and about 1 in 5 transgender 9 people experience homelessness. Another survey 10 found that 82 percent of gender nonbinary people 11 experiencing homelessness lacked access to shelter. 12 (17) As a result of the absence of explicit prohi-13 bitions against discrimination on the basis of sexual 14 orientation and gender identity, credit applicants 15 who are LGBTQ, or are perceived to be LGBTQ, 16 have unequal opportunities to establish credit. 17 LGBTQ people can experience being denied a mort-18 gage, credit card, student loan, or many other types 19 of credit simply because of their sexual orientation 20 or gender identity. 21 (18) Numerous studies demonstrate that 22 LGBTQ people, especially transgender people and 23 women, are economically disadvantaged and at a 24 higher risk for poverty compared with other groups 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 15 IH of people. For example, the poverty rate for older 1 women in same-sex couples is twice that of older dif-2 ferent-sex couples. 3 (19) The right to an impartial jury of one’s 4 peers and the reciprocal right to jury service are 5 fundamental to the free and democratic system of 6 justice in the United States and are based in the 7 Bill of Rights. There is, however, an unfortunate 8 and long-documented history in the United States of 9 attorneys discriminating against LGBTQ individ-10 uals, or those perceived to be LGBTQ, in jury selec-11 tion. Failure to bar peremptory challenges based on 12 the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender 13 identity of an individual not only erodes a funda-14 mental right, duty, and obligation of being a citizen 15 of the United States, but also unfairly creates a sec-16 ond class of citizenship for LGBTQ victims, wit-17 nesses, plaintiffs, and defendants. 18 (20) Numerous studies document the shortage 19 of qualified and available homes for the approxi-20 mately 424,000 youth in the child welfare system 21 and the negative outcomes for the many youth who 22 live in group care as opposed to a loving home or 23 who age out of care without a permanent family 24 placement. Although same-sex couples are 7 times 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 15 IH more likely to foster or adopt than their different- 1 sex counterparts, many child-placing agencies refuse 2 to serve same-sex couples and LGBTQ individuals. 3 This has resulted in a reduction of the pool of quali-4 fied and available homes for youth in the child wel-5 fare system who need placement on a temporary or 6 permanent basis. It also sends a negative message 7 about LGBTQ people to children and youth in the 8 child welfare system about who is, and who is not, 9 considered fit to be a parent. While the priority 10 should be on providing the supports necessary to 11 keep children with their families, when removal is re-12 quired, barring discrimination in foster care and 13 adoption will increase the number of homes available 14 to foster children waiting for foster and adoptive 15 families. 16 (21) LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the 17 foster care system by at least a factor of two and 18 report twice the rate of poor treatment while in care 19 compared to their non-LGBTQ counterparts. 20 LGBTQ youth in foster care have a higher average 21 number of placements, higher likelihood of living in 22 a group home, and higher rates of hospitalization for 23 emotional reasons and of juvenile justice involvement 24 than their non-LGBTQ peers because of the high 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 15 IH level of bias and discrimination that they face and 1 the difficulty of finding affirming foster placements. 2 Further, due to their physical distance from friends 3 and family, traumatic experiences, and potentially 4 unstable living situations, all youth involved with 5 child welfare services are at risk for being targeted 6 by traffickers seeking to exploit children. Barring 7 discrimination in child welfare services will ensure 8 improved treatment and outcomes for LGBTQ foster 9 children. 10 (22) Courts consistently have found that the 11 government has a compelling interest in preventing 12 and remedying discrimination. For example, the Su-13 preme Court of the United States found there to be 14 a compelling government interest in eliminating sex 15 discrimination in Board of Directors of Rotary 16 International v. Rotary Club of Duarte, 481 U.S. 17 537, 549 (1987). Because discrimination based on 18 sexual orientation or gender identity inherently is a 19 form of sex discrimination, as held in Bostock v. 20 Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020), this Act 21 furthers the compelling government interest in pro-22 viding redress for the serious harms to mental and 23 physical health, financial security and well-being, 24 civic participation, freedom of movement and oppor-25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 13 •HR 15 IH tunity, personal dignity, and physical safety that re-1 sult from discrimination. Consistent with the role 2 nondiscrimination laws play in protecting lives and 3 livelihoods, alleviating suffering, and improving indi-4 vidual and public health, the Supreme Court of the 5 United States has long recognized, under the deci-6 sion in Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United 7 States, 379 U.S. 241 (1964), that these laws also 8 benefit society as a whole by ending the ‘‘disruptive 9 effect’’ discrimination has on travel and commerce, 10 and by creating a level field for all participants in 11 a given sector. 12 (23) As with all prohibitions on invidious dis-13 crimination, this Act furthers the government’s com-14 pelling interest in the least restrictive way because 15 only by forbidding discrimination is it possible to 16 avert or redress the harms described in this sub-17 section. 18 (b) P URPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to ex-19 pand as well as clarify, confirm and create greater consist-20 ency in the protections and remedies against discrimina-21 tion on the basis of all covered characteristics and to pro-22 vide guidance and notice to individuals, organizations, cor-23 porations, and agencies regarding their obligations under 24 the law. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 14 •HR 15 IH SEC. 3. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS. 1 (a) P ROHIBITION ONDISCRIMINATION ORSEGREGA-2 TION INPUBLICACCOMMODATIONS.—Section 201 of the 3 Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a) is amended— 4 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘sex (includ-5 ing sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ before 6 ‘‘or national origin’’; and 7 (2) in subsection (b)— 8 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘sta-9 dium’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘sta-10 dium or other place of or establishment that 11 provides exhibition, entertainment, recreation, 12 exercise, amusement, public gathering, or public 13 display;’’; 14 (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 15 paragraph (6); and 16 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 17 following: 18 ‘‘(4) any establishment that provides a good, 19 service, or program, including a store, shopping cen-20 ter, online retailer or service provider, salon, bank, 21 gas station, food bank, service or care center, shel-22 ter, travel agency, or funeral parlor, or establish-23 ment that provides health care, accounting, or legal 24 services; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 15 •HR 15 IH ‘‘(5) any train service, bus service, car service, 1 taxi service, airline service, station, depot, or other 2 place of or establishment that provides transpor-3 tation service; and’’. 4 (b) P ROHIBITION ONDISCRIMINATION ORSEGREGA-5 TIONUNDERLAW.—Section 202 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 6 2000a–1) is amended by inserting ‘‘sex (including sexual 7 orientation and gender identity),’’ before ‘‘or national ori-8 gin’’. 9 (c) R ULE OFCONSTRUCTION.—Title II of such Act 10 (42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.) is amended by adding at the 11 end the following: 12 ‘‘SEC. 208. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 13 ‘‘A reference in this title to an establishment— 14 ‘‘(1) shall be construed to include an individual 15 whose operations affect commerce and who is a pro-16 vider of a good, service, or program; and 17 ‘‘(2) shall not be construed to be limited to a 18 physical facility or place.’’. 19 SEC. 4. DESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC FACILITIES. 20 Section 301(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 21 U.S.C. 2000b(a)) is amended by inserting ‘‘sex (including 22 sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ before ‘‘or na-23 tional origin’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 16 •HR 15 IH SEC. 5. DESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. 1 (a) D EFINITIONS.—Section 401(b) of the Civil Rights 2 Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000c(b)) is amended by inserting 3 ‘‘(including sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ be-4 fore ‘‘or national origin’’. 5 (b) C IVILACTIONS BY THEATTORNEYGENERAL.— 6 Section 407 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000c–6) is amended, 7 in subsection (a)(2), by inserting ‘‘(including sexual ori-8 entation and gender identity),’’ before ‘‘or national ori-9 gin’’. 10 (c) C LASSIFICATION ANDASSIGNMENT.—Section 410 11 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000c–9) is amended by inserting 12 ‘‘(including sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ be-13 fore ‘‘or national origin’’. 14 SEC. 6. FEDERAL FUNDING. 15 Section 601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 16 U.S.C. 2000d) is amended by inserting ‘‘sex (including 17 sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ before ‘‘or na-18 tional origin,’’. 19 SEC. 7. EMPLOYMENT. 20 (a) R ULES OFCONSTRUCTION.—Title VII of the 21 Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended by inserting after 22 section 701 (42 U.S.C. 2000e) the following: 23 ‘‘SEC. 701A. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 24 ‘‘Section 1106 shall apply to this title except that for 25 purposes of that application, a reference in that section 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 17 •HR 15 IH to an ‘unlawful practice’ shall be considered to be a ref-1 erence to an ‘unlawful employment practice’.’’. 2 (b) U NLAWFULEMPLOYMENTPRACTICES.—Section 3 703 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e– 4 2) is amended— 5 (1) in the section header, by striking ‘‘ SEX,’’ 6 and inserting ‘‘ SEX (INCLUDING SEXUAL ORIENTA -7 TION AND GENDER IDENTITY) ,’’; 8 (2) except in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘sex,’’ 9 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘sex (including 10 sexual orientation and gender identity),’’; 11 (3) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘enter-12 prise,’’ and inserting ‘‘enterprise, if, in a situation in 13 which sex is a bona fide occupational qualification, 14 individuals are recognized as qualified in accordance 15 with their gender identity,’’; and 16 (4) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘sex’’ the sec-17 ond place it appears and inserting ‘‘sex (including 18 sexual orientation and gender identity),’’. 19 (c) O THERUNLAWFULEMPLOYMENTPRACTICES.— 20 Section 704(b) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 21 2000e–3(b)) is amended— 22 (1) by striking ‘‘sex,’’ the first place it appears 23 and inserting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and 24 gender identity),’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 18 •HR 15 IH (2) by striking ‘‘employment.’’ and inserting 1 ‘‘employment, if, in a situation in which sex is a 2 bona fide occupational qualification, individuals are 3 recognized as qualified in accordance with their gen-4 der identity.’’. 5 (d) C LAIMS.—Section 706(g)(2)(A) of the Civil 6 Rights Act of 1964 (2000e–5(g)(2)(A)) is amended by 7 striking ‘‘sex,’’ and inserting ‘‘sex (including sexual ori-8 entation and gender identity),’’. 9 (e) E MPLOYMENT BYFEDERALGOVERNMENT.—Sec-10 tion 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 11 2000e–16) is amended— 12 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘sex,’’ and in-13 serting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and gender 14 identity),’’; and 15 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘sex’’ and in-16 serting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and gender 17 identity),’’. 18 (f) G OVERNMENT EMPLOYEE RIGHTSACT OF 19 1991.—The Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 20 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16a et seq.) is amended— 21 (1) in section 301(b), by striking ‘‘sex,’’ and in-22 serting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and gender 23 identity),’’; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 19 •HR 15 IH (2) in section 302(a)(1), by striking ‘‘sex,’’ and 1 inserting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and gen-2 der identity),’’; and 3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 4 ‘‘SEC. 305. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION AND CLAIMS. 5 ‘‘Sections 1101(b), 1106, and 1107 of the Civil 6 Rights Act of 1964 shall apply to this title except that 7 for purposes of that application, a reference in that section 8 1106 to ‘race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orienta-9 tion and gender identity), or national origin’ shall be con-10 sidered to be a reference to ‘race, color, religion, sex, sex-11 ual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or 12 disability’.’’. 13 (g) C ONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 14 1995.—The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 15 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended— 16 (1) in section 201(a)(1) (2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(1)) 17 by inserting ‘‘(including sexual orientation and gen-18 der identity),’’ before ‘‘or national origin,’’; and 19 (2) by adding at the end of title II (42 U.S.C. 20 1311 et seq.) the following: 21 ‘‘SEC. 209. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION AND CLAIMS. 22 ‘‘Sections 1101(b), 1106, and 1107 of the Civil 23 Rights Act of 1964 shall apply to section 201 (and reme-24 dial provisions of this Act related to section 201) except 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 20 •HR 15 IH that for purposes of that application, a reference in that 1 section 1106 to ‘race, color, religion, sex (including sexual 2 orientation and gender identity), or national origin’ shall 3 be considered to be a reference to ‘race, color, religion, 4 sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), na-5 tional origin, age, or disability’.’’. 6 (h) C IVILSERVICEREFORMACT OF1978.—Chapter 7 23 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 8 (1) in section 2301(b)(2), by striking ‘‘sex,’’ 9 and inserting ‘‘sex (including sexual orientation and 10 gender identity),’’; 11 (2) in section 2302— 12 (A) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting 13 ‘‘(including sexual orientation and gender iden-14 tity),’’ before ‘‘or national origin,’’; and 15 (B) in subsection (d)(1), by inserting ‘‘(in-16 cluding sexual orientation and gender iden-17 tity),’’ before ‘‘or national origin;’’; and 18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 19 ‘‘SEC. 2307. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION AND CLAIMS. 20 ‘‘Sections 1101(b), 1106, and 1107 of the Civil 21 Rights Act of 1964 shall apply to this chapter (and reme-22 dial provisions of this title related to this chapter) except 23 that for purposes of that application, a reference in that 24 section 1106 to ‘race, color, religion, sex (including sexual 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 21 •HR 15 IH orientation and gender identity), or national origin’ shall 1 be considered to be a reference to ‘race, color, religion, 2 sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), na-3 tional origin, age, a handicapping condition, marital sta-4 tus, or political affiliation’.’’. 5 SEC. 8. INTERVENTION. 6 Section 902 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 7 U.S.C. 2000h–2) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including sex-8 ual orientation and gender identity),’’ before ‘‘or national 9 origin,’’. 10 SEC. 9. MISCELLANEOUS. 11 Title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended— 12 (1) by redesignating sections 1101 through 13 1104 (42 U.S.C. 2000h et seq.) and sections 1105 14 and 1106 (42 U.S.C. 2000h–5, 2000h–6) as sections 15 1102 through 1105 and sections 1108 and 1109, re-16 spectively; 17 (2) by inserting after the title heading the fol-18 lowing: 19 ‘‘SEC. 1101. DEFINITIONS AND RULES. 20 ‘‘(a) D EFINITIONS.—In titles II, III, IV, VI, VII, and 21 IX (referred to individually in sections 1106 and 1107 as 22 a ‘covered title’): 23 ‘‘(1) R ACE; COLOR; RELIGION; SEX; SEXUAL 24 ORIENTATION; GENDER IDENTITY ; NATIONAL ORI-25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 22 •HR 15 IH GIN.—The term ‘race’, ‘color’, ‘religion’, ‘sex’ (in-1 cluding ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’), or 2 ‘national origin’, used with respect to an individual, 3 includes— 4 ‘‘(A) the race, color, religion, sex (includ-5 ing sexual orientation and gender identity), or 6 national origin, respectively, of another person 7 with whom the individual is associated or has 8 been associated; and 9 ‘‘(B) a perception or belief, even if inac-10 curate, concerning the race, color, religion, sex 11 (including sexual orientation and gender iden-12 tity), or national origin, respectively, of the in-13 dividual. 14 ‘‘(2) G ENDER IDENTITY.—The term ‘gender 15 identity’ means the gender-related identity, appear-16 ance, mannerisms, or other gender-related character-17 istics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s 18 designated sex at birth. 19 ‘‘(3) I NCLUDING.—The term ‘including’ means 20 including, but not limited to, consistent with the 21 term’s standard meaning in Federal law. 22 ‘‘(4) S EX.—The term ‘sex’ includes— 23 ‘‘(A) a sex stereotype; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 23 •HR 15 IH ‘‘(B) pregnancy, childbirth, or a related 1 medical condition; 2 ‘‘(C) sexual orientation or gender identity; 3 and 4 ‘‘(D) sex characteristics, including intersex 5 traits. 6 ‘‘(5) S EXUAL ORIENTATION .—The term ‘sexual 7 orientation’ means homosexuality, heterosexuality, or 8 bisexuality. 9 ‘‘(b) R ULES.—In a covered title referred to in sub-10 section (a)— 11 ‘‘(1) (with respect to sex) pregnancy, childbirth, 12 or a related medical condition shall not receive less 13 favorable treatment than other physical conditions; 14 and 15 ‘‘(2) (with respect to gender identity) an indi-16 vidual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, 17 including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing 18 room, that is in accordance with the individual’s 19 gender identity.’’; and 20 (3) by inserting after section 1105 the fol-21 lowing: 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 24 •HR 15 IH ‘‘SEC. 1106. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 1 ‘‘(a) S EX.—Nothing in section 1101 or the provisions 2 of a covered title incorporating a term defined or a rule 3 specified in that section shall be construed— 4 ‘‘(1) to limit the protection against an unlawful 5 practice on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or a 6 related medical condition provided by section 701(k); 7 or 8 ‘‘(2) to limit the protection against an unlawful 9 practice on the basis of sex available under any pro-10 vision of Federal law other than that covered title, 11 prohibiting a practice on the basis of sex. 12 ‘‘(b) C LAIMS ANDREMEDIESNOTPRECLUDED.— 13 Nothing in section 1101 or a covered title shall be con-14 strued to limit the claims or remedies available to any indi-15 vidual for an unlawful practice on the basis of race, color, 16 religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender iden-17 tity), or national origin including claims brought pursuant 18 to section 1979 or 1980 of the Revised Statutes (42 19 U.S.C. 1983, 1985) or any other law, including a Federal 20 law amended by the Equality Act, regulation, or policy. 21 ‘‘(c) N ONEGATIVEINFERENCE.—Nothing in section 22 1101 or a covered title shall be construed to support any 23 inference that any Federal law prohibiting a practice on 24 the basis of sex does not prohibit discrimination on the 25 basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condi-26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 25 •HR 15 IH tion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or a sex stereo-1 type. 2 ‘‘SEC. 1107. CLAIMS. 3 ‘‘The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (42 4 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.) shall not provide a claim con-5 cerning, or a defense to a claim under, a covered title, 6 or provide a basis for challenging the application or en-7 forcement of a covered title.’’. 8 SEC. 10. HOUSING. 9 (a) F AIRHOUSINGACT.—The Fair Housing Act (42 10 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) is amended— 11 (1) in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602), by adding 12 at the end the following: 13 ‘‘(p) ‘Gender identity’, ‘sex’, and ‘sexual orientation’ 14 have the meanings given those terms in section 1101(a) 15 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 16 ‘‘(q) ‘Race’, ‘color’, ‘religion’, ‘sex’ (including ‘sexual 17 orientation’ and ‘gender identity’), ‘handicap’, ‘familial 18 status’, or ‘national origin’, used with respect to an indi-19 vidual, includes— 20 ‘‘(1) the race, color, religion, sex (including sex-21 ual orientation and gender identity), handicap, fa-22 milial status, or national origin, respectively, of an-23 other person with whom the individual is associated 24 or has been associated; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 26 •HR 15 IH ‘‘(2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, 1 concerning the race, color, religion, sex (including 2 sexual orientation and gender identity), handicap, 3 familial status, or national origin, respectively, of the 4 individual.’’; 5 (2) in section 804, by inserting ‘‘(including sex-6 ual orientation and gender identity),’’ after ‘‘sex,’’ 7 each place that term appears; 8 (3) in section 805, by inserting ‘‘(including sex-9 ual orientation and gender identity),’’ after ‘‘sex,’’ 10 each place that term appears; 11 (4) in section 806, by inserting ‘‘(including sex-12 ual orientation and gender identity),’’ after ‘‘sex,’’; 13 (5) in section 808(e)(6), by inserting ‘‘(includ-14 ing sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ after 15 ‘‘sex,’’; and 16 (6) by adding at the end the following: 17 ‘‘SEC. 821. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 18 ‘‘Sections 1101(b) and 1106 of the Civil Rights Act 19 of 1964 shall apply to this title and section 901, except 20 that for purposes of that application, a reference in that 21 section 1101(b) or 1106 to a ‘covered title’ shall be consid-22 ered a reference to ‘this title and section 901’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 27 •HR 15 IH ‘‘SEC. 822. CLAIMS. 1 ‘‘Section 1107 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 shall 2 apply to this title and section 901, except that for pur-3 poses of that application, a reference in that section 1107 4 to a ‘covered title’ shall be considered a reference to ‘this 5 title and section 901’.’’. 6 (b) P REVENTION OFINTIMIDATION INFAIRHOUS-7 INGCASES.—Section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 8 (42 U.S.C. 3631) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including sex-9 ual orientation (as such term is defined in section 802 of 10 this Act) and gender identity (as such term is defined in 11 section 802 of this Act)),’’ after ‘‘sex,’’ each place that 12 term appears. 13 SEC. 11. EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY. 14 (a) P ROHIBITED DISCRIMINATION.—Section 15 701(a)(1) of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 16 1691(a)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including sexual 17 orientation and gender identity),’’ after ‘‘sex’’. 18 (b) D EFINITIONS.—Section 702 of the Equal Credit 19 Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691a) is amended— 20 (1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 21 subsections (h) and (i), respectively; 22 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-23 lowing: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 28 •HR 15 IH ‘‘(f) The terms ‘gender identity’, ‘sex’, and ‘sexual 1 orientation’ have the meanings given those terms in sec-2 tion 1101(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 3 ‘‘(g) The term ‘race’, ‘color’, ‘religion’, ‘national ori-4 gin’, ‘sex’ (including ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender iden-5 tity’), ‘marital status’, or ‘age’, used with respect to an 6 individual, includes— 7 ‘‘(1) the race, color, religion, national origin, 8 sex (including sexual orientation and gender iden-9 tity), marital status, or age, respectively, of another 10 person with whom the individual is associated or has 11 been associated; and 12 ‘‘(2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, 13 concerning the race, color, religion, national origin, 14 sex (including sexual orientation and gender iden-15 tity), marital status, or age, respectively, of the indi-16 vidual.’’; and 17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 18 ‘‘(j) Sections 1101(b) and 1106 of the Civil Rights 19 Act of 1964 shall apply to this title, except that for pur-20 poses of that application— 21 ‘‘(1) a reference in those sections to a ‘covered 22 title’ shall be considered a reference to ‘this title’; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 29 •HR 15 IH ‘‘(2) paragraph (1) of such section 1101(b) 1 shall apply with respect to all aspects of a credit 2 transaction.’’. 3 (c) R ELATION TOSTATELAWS.—Section 705(a) of 4 the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691d(a)) 5 is amended by inserting ‘‘(including sexual orientation and 6 gender identity),’’ after ‘‘sex’’. 7 (d) C IVILLIABILITY.—Section 706 of the Equal 8 Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691e) is amended by 9 adding at the end the following: 10 ‘‘(l) Section 1107 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 11 shall apply to this title, except that for purposes of that 12 application, a reference in that section to a ‘covered title’ 13 shall be considered a reference to ‘this title’.’’. 14 SEC. 12. JURIES. 15 (a) I NGENERAL.—Chapter 121 of title 28, United 16 States Code, is amended— 17 (1) in section 1862, by inserting ‘‘(including 18 sexual orientation and gender identity),’’ after 19 ‘‘sex,’’; 20 (2) in section 1867(e), in the second sentence, 21 by inserting ‘‘(including sexual orientation and gen-22 der identity),’’ after ‘‘sex,’’; 23 (3) in section 1869— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 30 •HR 15 IH (A) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 1 the end; 2 (B) in subsection (k), by striking the pe-3 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘(l) ‘gender identity’, ‘sex’, and ‘sexual orientation’ 6 have the meanings given such terms under section 1101(a) 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and 8 ‘‘(m) ‘race’, ‘color’, ‘religion’, ‘sex’ (including ‘sexual 9 orientation’ and ‘gender identity’), ‘economic status’, or 10 ‘national origin’, used with respect to an individual, in-11 cludes— 12 ‘‘(1) the race, color, religion, sex (including sex-13 ual orientation and gender identity), economic sta-14 tus, or national origin, respectively, of another per-15 son with whom the individual is associated or has 16 been associated; and 17 ‘‘(2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, 18 concerning the race, color, religion, sex (including 19 sexual orientation and gender identity), economic 20 status, or national origin, respectively, of the indi-21 vidual.’’; and 22 (4) by adding at the end the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 31 •HR 15 IH ‘‘§ 1879. Rules of construction and claims 1 ‘‘Sections 1101(b), 1106, and 1107 of the Civil 2 Rights Act of 1964 shall apply to this chapter, except that 3 for purposes of that application, a reference in those sec-4 tions to a ‘covered title’ shall be considered a reference 5 to ‘this chapter’.’’. 6 (b) T ECHNICAL AND CONFORMINGAMENDMENT.— 7 The table of sections for chapter 121 of title 28, United 8 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-9 lowing: 10 ‘‘1879. Rules of construction and claims.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H15.IH H15 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB