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Minnesota House committee hears hours of testimony on proposed Equal Rights Amendment; bill laid over
Summary
A Minnesota House committee heard pro and con testimony on House File 501, a proposed constitutional amendment to add explicit nondiscrimination protections including disability, gender identity, and pregnancy; the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion, with no final vote recorded.
Representative Finke presented House File 501, a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that would prohibit discrimination on grounds the sponsor described as including race, color, national origin, ancestry and disability and additional categories referenced in testimony.
The sponsor said the amendment "makes important and significant changes to how our state defends the rights of all of our neighbors," and asked the committee to lay the bill over for possible inclusion. After more than an hour of public testimony and member discussion, the chair renewed a motion to lay HF 501 over for possible inclusion; the committee took no final vote.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Finke, told the committee the amendment is intended to expand constitutional protections and said, "It is long past time for that to change." Finke emphasized that the proposal is meant to protect multiple communities, including people with disabilities and transgender people, and reserved further remarks to closing comments and public…
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