Sponsors (22)
Introduced February 13, 2026 by Ayanna Pressley · Last progress February 13, 2026
This bill substantially expands and clarifies federal anti‑discrimination protections and enforcement supports for many workers — improving access to remedies and targeted outreach — in exchange for higher compliance, administrative, and litigation costs borne by employers, contractors, and taxpayers.
Millions of workers — including LGBTQ+ people, pregnant/postpartum workers, people with disabilities, non‑English speakers, federal employees, interns, contractors, volunteers, and job applicants — gain explicit, broadened federal protections against discrimination and harassment.
Employees at covered workplaces get clearer complaint procedures, accessible model policies, translated materials, and required trainings that improve understanding of rights and can reduce harassment and workplace harm.
Independent contractors, interns, trainees, volunteers, fellows and applicants obtain the same federal anti‑discrimination protections and remedies as employees, expanding legal recourse for nontraditional workers.
Employers — including many very small businesses — face substantial new compliance, training, translation, posting, and administrative costs, and some may cut hiring or alter work arrangements to offset those costs.
Broader definitions of discrimination, a lower causation standard, and restored/expanded remedies increase litigation risk and potential damages exposure for employers, likely producing more lawsuits and higher legal liability.
Federal spending will rise (grants, statewide systems, technical assistance) and businesses face civil fines for violations; together these create direct costs to taxpayers and financial penalties for employers.
Based on analysis of 17 sections of legislative text.
Requires employer anti-discrimination policies and training, expands 'sex' protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity, extends protections to contractors/interns, and funds prevention grants.
Requires most employers to adopt and publicize comprehensive nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies, provide specified employee and supervisor training, and keep records and reporting options accessible. Expands federal anti-discrimination law definitions of “sex” to expressly include sexual orientation, gender identity, sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, and pregnancy/childbirth conditions; extends many federal workplace protections to independent contractors, interns, fellows, volunteers, trainees, and applicants for those roles; and creates a Women’s Bureau grant program to prevent and address employment discrimination and harassment. Also changes remedies in certain “motivating factor” cases to limit damages and some orders when an employer proves it would have taken the same action absent the discriminatory motive, reissues and aligns federal contractor compliance rules, and gives the EEOC and other agencies new rulemaking, training, enforcement, and language/accessibility duties.