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Introduced February 12, 2026 by Patty Murray · Last progress February 12, 2026
Requires most employers to adopt and post comprehensive nondiscrimination and anti‑harassment policies and training, expands federal civil‑rights protections (including treating sexual orientation and gender identity as sex), strengthens EEOC authority and research on workplace harassment, phases out the separate lower tipped minimum wage, and extends many employment protections to independent contractors, interns, volunteers, and trainees. It also limits enforceability of nondisclosure/nondisparagement clauses about harassment, curtails mandatory arbitration for collective employment claims, tightens contractor screening and oversight, and creates federal grant and state allotment programs to fund prevention, legal services, and advocacy.
The bill substantially expands and clarifies workplace anti‑discrimination and harassment protections and funds enforcement and aid for victims—benefiting many workers (including LGBTQ+, gig, low‑income, and disabled workers)—but it also increases compliance, administrative, and litigation costs for employers, raises federal implementation and spending demands, and creates transitional uncertainty.
Millions of workers — including LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, older workers, independent contractors, interns, volunteers, applicants, and employees at the smallest workplaces — gain explicit and broader federal anti‑discrimination and anti‑harassment protections (SOGI as sex, lower employer threshold to one employee, inclusion of contractors and trainees, broadened harassment standards
Low‑income workers, immigrants, and other victims gain substantially improved access to legal representation, advocacy, and local enforcement capacity through expanded counsel/advocacy access, multi‑year grants to legal aid and nonprofits, and state allotments to investigate systemic discrimination
Employees at covered firms receive mandatory written nondiscrimination/anti‑harassment policies, interactive (including supervisor) training informed by research, stronger tip protections (right to retain tips) and a phased increase in the tipped cash wage, plus improved data collection on workplace harassment
Employers — especially small businesses and contractors — face substantial new compliance, administrative, and operational costs (policy development, translations, training, reporting, facility accommodations, contractor screening, and responding to inspections/record requests)
The bill is likely to increase litigation and administrative claim volume and employer exposure (expanded definitions, lower proof thresholds, longer filing windows, limits on mandatory arbitration, expanded access to counsel and private suits), raising legal risk and costs for employers and potentially burdening courts and agencies
Federal spending and budgetary pressure could rise because several provisions rely on open‑ended appropriations or 'such sums as may be necessary' (EEOC research/offices, grant programs) and agencies will need resources for IT and implementation