A Virginia House of Delegates panel
will not hear two LGBT protections bills on Thursday as previously
planned.
Senate Bill 1109 would prohibit
discrimination in housing on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity, while Senate Bill 998 would prohibit such
discrimination in employment.
The bills cleared the House Rules
Committee on Monday and were expected to be heard today by the
General Law Committee. The bills will not be eligible to become law
this year unless they clear the committee by the end of this week.
According to several LGBT groups,
neither bill was on the committee's docket this morning.
Both bills have cleared the Senate four
times, including earlier this month, with three previous defeats in
the Republican-controlled House.
Equality Virginia, the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC) and Freedom for All Americans (FFAA) will meet at 1:30
PM in the General Laws Committee chamber to demand answers.
“It is clear that there is
widespread, bipartisan support for legislation that would protect
LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing and public employment in
the commonwealth of Virginia,” Sarah Warbelow, legal director at
the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “As more Virginians
and business leaders add their voices the growing majority who want
to protect their friends and neighbors from discrimination, we have
to ask the House of Delegates: what are you waiting for?”