March, 22 2011, 04:29pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Vaishalee Raja, Equality California
PHONE: (916) 284-9187 EMAIL: vaishalee@eqca.org
Equal Benefits Law for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Workers Advances in Legislature
Today the Equal Benefits Bill (SB 117), which strengthens the state's current equal benefits law, passed the Senate Governmental Organization committee in a 7-5 vote. Authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, the bill adds a provision barring the state from entering into contracts with businesses and other entities that do not provide equal benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.
SACRAMENTO
Today the Equal Benefits Bill (SB 117), which strengthens the state's current equal benefits law, passed the Senate Governmental Organization committee in a 7-5 vote. Authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, the bill adds a provision barring the state from entering into contracts with businesses and other entities that do not provide equal benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.
In 2003, the State Legislature passed a bill authored by then-Assemblymember Kehoe and sponsored by Equality California that prohibited discrimination in benefits between employees with spouses and employees with registered domestic partners.
"This bill will prohibit taxpayer dollars from being used to buy goods or services from entities that discriminate against their same-sex married employees," said Geoff Kors, Equality California Executive Director. "California has the led the way in equal benefits and this bill will help make certain that all legally recognized couples are treated equally under California law."
Beginning in 1996 in San Francisco, Equality California leadership has been working with city councils and the California legislature to pass equal benefits ordinances. Since then, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, San Mateo County and San Diego have adopted such ordinances, as did the State of California in 2003 when Equality California sponsored a bill introduced by then-Assemblymember Christine Kehoe. Other cities with similar ordinances, include Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Miami Beach.
"SB117 is in keeping with California's long tradition of providing equal benefits for all," said Senator Kehoe. "It levels the playing field for companies that do business with the state. The bill ensures that employees who work for businesses that contract with the state are not discriminated against because they are married to a same-sex spouse."
It is estimated that thousands of businesses and other entities now offer equal benefits as a direct result of these laws, including automobile companies, most airlines and many Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians.
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While praising the move, campaigners also said that the agency "must require polluters to pay to clean up the entire class of thousands of toxic PFAS chemicals, and it must ban nonessential uses."
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Environmental and public health advocates on Friday welcomed the Biden administration's latest step to tackle "forever chemicals," a new Superfund rule that "will help ensure that polluters pay to clean up their contamination" across the country.
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"This action, coupled with EPA's recent announcement of limits on PFAS in drinking water, are critical steps in protecting the public."
As part of the Biden administration's "PFAS Strategic Roadmap," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule designates perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the Superfund law—the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
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David Andrews, EWG's deputy director of investigations and a senior scientist, has led studies that have found that PFAS are potentially harming over 330 species and more than 200 million Americans could have PFOA and PFOS in their tap water.
"For far too long, the unchecked use and disposal of toxic PFAS have wreaked havoc on our planet, contaminating everything from our drinking water to our food supply," he noted. "Urgent action is needed to clean up contaminated sites, eliminate future release of these pollutants, and shield people from additional exposure."
Walter Mugdan, a volunteer with the Environmental Protection Network and the former Superfund director for EPA Region 2, explained that the "landmark action will allow the agency to more strongly address PFAS contamination and expedite cleanups of these toxic forever chemicals while also ensuring that cleanup costs fall on those most responsible—the industrial polluters who continue to manufacture and use them."
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As an EWG blog post detailed in anticipation of the new rule earlier this week:
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[...]
When a chemical is added to the list of hazardous substances, the EPA sets a reportable quantity. Any time a substance is released above that quantity it must be reported. By imposing reportable quantities, the EPA will get immediate information about new PFAS releases and the chance to investigate immediately and, if necessary, take actions to reduce additional exposures. This information is also shared with state or tribal and local emergency authorities, so it can reach communities more quickly.
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Liz Hitchcock, director of Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, the federal policy program of Toxic-Free Future, similarly celebrated the EPA rule, calling it "an important step forward that will go a long way toward holding PFAS polluters accountable and beginning to clean up contaminated sites across the country."
Like Doll, she also stressed that "until we declare the full class of PFAS hazardous and prevent further pollution by ending the use of all PFAS chemicals in common products like food packaging and firefighting gear, communities will continue to pay the price with our health and tax dollars."
Mary Grant, the Public Water for All campaign director at Food & Water Watch, agreed that further action is necessary.
"Chemical companies have attempted to hide what they have long known about the dangers of PFAS, creating a widespread public health crisis in the process," Grant emphasized. "These polluters must absolutely be held accountable to pay to clean up their toxic mess."
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Noting that it's not just the EPA considering forever chemicals policies, Grant called on Congress to "reject various legislative proposals to exempt for-profit companies, including the water and sewer privatization industry, from being held accountable to pay to clean up PFAS."
"It is an outrageous hypocrisy that large for-profit water corporations seek to privatize municipal water and sewer systems by touting themselves as a solution to PFAS contamination, and yet they want to carve themselves out of accountability for cleanup costs," she argued. "No corporation should have free rein to pollute."
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The letter continues:
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The letter is signed by the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, Friends of the Earth Action, LCV Victory Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, Climate Emergency Advocates, Climate Power, Earthjustice Action, Food & Water Action, NextGen America, Sierra Club Independent Action, Sunrise Movement, and 350 Action.
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