{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/sen-merkley-doubles-down-on-lgbt-nondiscrimination-law", "Sen. Merkley doubles down on LGBT nondiscrimination law", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sen. Merkley doubles down on LGBT nondiscrimination law \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWednesday, December 10, 2014\r\n\r\n\t\n\r\n\r\n\r\n  \r\n    By:\u00a0\r\n    Anna Staver\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRather than trying again to pass a law banning workplace discrimination, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley plans to introduce a broader measure in 2015 to outlaw discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations.\r\n\u201cOregon and the nation are on a trajectory towards equality, and it is my goal to continue pushing this,\u201d Merkley told reporters during a conference call Wednesday. \u201cSurely the time has come to right this wrong.\u201d\r\nThe bill, which Merkley hopes to introduce during the first half of 2015, would be similar to Oregon\u2019s nondiscrimination law \u2014 which he shepherded through as Speaker of the House in 2007.\r\nMerkley\u2019s law would prohibit employers from refusing to hire someone on the basis of sexual orientation, but it would also prohibit lenders from refusing to give gay couples loans and restaurants or bakeries from refusing service to LGBT people.\r\nOregon is one of 21 states that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and it\u2019s one of 18 states that includes a provision for gender identity. However, there is no federal LGBT nondiscrimination law.\r\nContinue reading at the Statesman Journal\r\n\r\n \r\n           \r\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/sen-merkley-doubles-down-on-lgbt-nondiscrimination-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7449968252331018, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}