BILL NUMBER: S7382
SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to adding gender identity
or expression as a protected class of the human rights law
 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
Adding Gender Identity or Expression as a Protected Class to the Intern
Provision of the Human Rights Law.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill makes a technical correction to the Human Rights
Law to renumber paragraphs.
Section 2 will add Gender Identity or Expression as a Protected Class
throughout section 296-c of the Human Rights Law and make technical
corrections to the HRL.
Section 3 sets an immediate effective date.
 
EXISTING LAW:
The Human Rights Law protects unpaid interns from unlawful discrimi-
nation based age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orien-
tation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic charac-
teristics, marital status, or status as a victim of domestic violence
with respect to hiring firing and other terms conditions or privileges
of employment.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Since 2014, the Human Rights Law has protected unpaid interns from
unlawful discrimination based on their protected class status with
respect to hiring firing and other terms, conditions or privileges of
employment. In 2019, gender identity or expression was added as a
protected class to all areas of jurisdiction throughout the Human Rights
Law. Likely due to an unintended oversight, the intern provision was not
amended. While interns have been protected from discrimination based on
gender identity or expression under DHR's interpretation of sex discrim-
ination, this bill will rectify the oversight and make the protection
explicit.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
LOCAL IMPACT:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.

Statutes affected:
S7382: 296-c executive law, 296-c(3) executive law