NBC NEWS Rep. David Cicilline, Dem. R.I., reintroduced the Equality Act in the House of Representatives on last Thursday, with a vote on the sweeping LGBTQ rights bill expected next week.

The move brings the bill one step closer to potentially establishing the first federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Specifically, it would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces, public funding and jury service.

The Equality Act passed the Democrat-controlled House in May 2019, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. Now that Democrats have taken control of the Senate, advocates are hopeful that the bill will pass.

"In 2021, every American should be treated with respect and dignity," said Cicilline, who has introduced the bill every year since 2015. "Yet, in most states, LGBTQ people can be discriminated against because of who they are, or who they love. It is past time for that to change." (To read full article, Click Here.)