With Congress back in session after the August recess, it’s time for another update to our report on the activity of the LGBT Equality Caucus in the House of Representatives. Our report evaluates the 79 members of the LGBT Equality Caucus against the standard set by the caucus itself: a slate of 16 bills identified by the caucus that “promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality.”

Since we last updated our LGBT Equality Caucus report on July 11, four new bills have been added to the caucus slate. They are:

1. H.R. 1551, a bill issuing state grants to develop youth educational programs regarding HIV and (optionally) sexual orientation as part of a broader sexual education curriculum. 48 out of the 79 members of the LGBT Equality Caucus have cosponsored this bill.
2. H.R. 2744, a bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status by any health care or research program receiving federal funding. Just 4 out of the 79 members of the LGBT Equality Caucus have cosponsored this bill (one out of the 4 being non-voting delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton). Interestingly, this bill’s main sponsor, Laura Richardson, is not a member of the caucus. Most of the cosponsors of H.R. 2744 are also non-caucus members. This may be due to the existence of a more comprehensive caucus-favored alternative…
3. H.R. 3001, also called the Ending Health Disparities Act, is a bill to outlaw discrimination in public health care provision, to create federal tax equity for same-sex couples receiving health plan benefits, and to ensure that same-sex domestic partners of federal employees receive access to a variety of employee benefits to the same extent as married partners. 17 out of the 79 members of the LGBT Equality Caucus have cosponsored this bill.
4. Finally, H.Res. 436 is a symbolic bill with no force of law to celebrate the life of the late Bea Arthur, an actress who also did considerable advocacy work on behalf of homeless gay, lesbian and transgender teens. Although the bill is part of the caucus slate, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado is the only caucus member to support it through sponsorship.

Here’s a summary of activity regarding the other 12 bills of the LGBT caucus slate from July 11 to September 11, 2009:

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H.R. 1024, a bill to end immigration discrimination against same-sex couples — no more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.R. 1283, to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the military — all members are already cosponsors, no actions

H.R. 1616, to include HIV treatment in Medicaid coverage — no more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.R. 1913, authorizing the Department of Justice to assist in state and local investigation and prosecution of anti-gay crimes — already passed by House (April 29, 2009)

H.R. 2262, to distribute grants related to anti-gay and other bullying — 7 more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.R. 2517, to end discrimination against same-sex couples in federal benefits — 2 more caucus cosponsors; forwarded out of subcommittee to the full House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 30 on a 5 – 3 vote

H.R. 2625, to end discrimination against same-sex couples in health care tax incentives — 5 more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.R. 2709, to provide equity in family immigration rules for same-sex couples and other non-traditional families — 4 more caucus cosponsors, referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law on August 19

H.R. 3017, to outlaw discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation — 2 more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.Con.Res. 92, declaring support for the National Day of Silence on anti-gay bullying — no more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.Res. 308, honoring AIDS activist Pedro Pablo Zamora y Diaz — 0 more caucus cosponsors, no actions

H.Res. 433, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising — 1 more caucus cosponsor, referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on August 19
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These have been descriptions of progress on the bills that make up the LGBT Equality Caucus slate; we’ll be discussing caucus activity from the standpoint of individual members of the caucus in the days to come. Until then, read the full report if you’re curious.