Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.
Sponsored By: Representative Jayapal
Introduced
Summary
A federal "Transgender Bill of Rights" to codify and protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary people. It aims to lock in access to medical care, legal identity, housing, employment, and safety across federal laws and programs.
Show full summary
- Families and youth gain protections for gender-affirming care and against harmful practices. The resolution would prohibit health-care discrimination, remove unnecessary government limits on care, protect supportive parents, ban conversion practices, and push for more trained providers and telehealth access.
- Workers, renters, and borrowers would see clearer federal civil-rights coverage. It calls for amending Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to bar discrimination based on gender identity and sex characteristics.
- Legal identity, military service, and safety measures would be eased. The resolution directs simpler federal document changes including self-attestation and an "X" marker, requires TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover gender-affirming care, improves detention and asylum protections, and creates a Justice Department liaison plus funding for enforcement. It also asks federal surveys to collect voluntary gender identity data and centers transgender-led policy input.
*The resolution directs agencies to rewrite rules and expand enforcement to protect transgender and nonbinary people across health, civil rights, and public safety.*
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Better military health and discharge reviews
If adopted, the resolution would state that transgender and nonbinary people should be able to serve openly in the military. It would also call for review and reclassification of military discharges for transgender and nonbinary veterans. TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs would be required to pay for gender-affirming health care, and telehealth access would be expanded to underserved areas.
Safer housing and care in custody
If adopted, housing for transgender and nonbinary people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention would be decided based on individualized safety needs. Caseworkers and the individual's safety assessment would help guide placements. Detention and correctional officials would also be pushed to improve access to gender-affirming care and gender-consistent commissary items.
Expand health care access and protections
If adopted, the resolution would push to recruit and train more health providers to care for transgender and nonbinary patients. It would reopen the NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office and expand mental-health and suicide-prevention programs. The resolution would ban harmful conversion practices and nonconsensual surgeries on intersex children, promote voluntary gender-identity data for public-health use, and protect providers who follow recognized standards of care.
Immigration relief for gender claims
If adopted, immigration authorities would treat persecution for gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics as protected grounds for asylum and other relief. Adjudicators would get cultural competency training to reduce bias. The resolution would also require that identity or sex characteristics not be used to an applicant's detriment during proceedings.
More enforcement for transgender rights
If adopted, the Attorney General would name a Civil Rights Division liaison for transgender and nonbinary issues. The resolution would also appropriate funds to fully staff and support enforcement of civil-rights protections across federal agencies. This would strengthen agencies' ability to investigate and coordinate cases.
Stronger nondiscrimination and ID updates
If adopted, the resolution would expand federal sex discrimination rules to explicitly cover gender identity and sex characteristics across jobs, housing, credit, schools, and public places. It would broaden the definition of public accommodation and limit religious defenses that allow discrimination in federally funded programs. Federal IDs that ask gender would offer an "X" marker, and agencies would remove unnecessary gender requirements and ease name and gender updates on passports and Social Security records, allowing self-attestation where possible.
Protect children from forced removal
If adopted, the resolution would call for protections to prevent children from being forcefully removed from supportive homes because of gender-identity issues. The goal would be to keep children with families when that is in the child's best interest. The resolution does not define specific legal standards or funding in the text provided.
Same-day voter updates and registration
If adopted, States would have to let people update their name and gender on voter registration records. States would also have to allow same-day registration and voting in Federal elections. The resolution does not specify who pays for implementation.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Jayapal
WA • D
Cosponsors
Takano
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Jacobs
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Amo
RI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Balint
VT • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Bell
MO • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Brownley
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Carbajal
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Casar
TX • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Chu
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Cisneros
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Clarke (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Dean (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
DeGette
CO • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
DeSaulnier
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Dexter
OR • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Dingell
MI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Doggett
TX • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Evans (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Fletcher
TX • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Foushee
NC • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Frost
FL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Garamendi
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Garcia (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Garcia (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Garcia (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Goldman (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Gomez
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Green, Al (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Grijalva
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Ivey
MD • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Kamlager-Dove
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Keating
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Krishnamoorthi
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Larson (CT)
CT • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Lee (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Leger Fernandez
NM • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Lieu
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Lofgren
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Lynch
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Matsui
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McClain Delaney
MD • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McCollum
MN • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McGarvey
KY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
McIver
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Menendez
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Meng
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Moore (WI)
WI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Moulton
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Nadler
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Omar
MN • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Panetta
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Peters
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Pocan
WI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Pressley
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Quigley
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Ramirez
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Randall
WA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Raskin
MD • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Rivas
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Ross
NC • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Salinas
OR • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Sanchez
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Scanlon
PA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Schakowsky
IL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Smith (WA)
WA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Stansbury
NM • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Thanedar
MI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Titus
NV • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Tlaib
MI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Tokuda
HI • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Tonko
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Torres (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Trahan
MA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Vargas
CA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Velazquez
NY • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Walkinshaw
VA • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Watson Coleman
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Wilson (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Brown
OH • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govRelated Bills
HR51 — Washington, D.C. Admission Act
Full statehood for Washington, Douglass Commonwealth would admit the District of Columbia as a new state on equal footing, while defining a smaller federal "Capital" and setting staged transitions for courts, property, and federal programs. - Capital residents would gain full congressional representation: two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative. The bill also requires states to allow "absent Capital" residents to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections. - The U.S. House would be permanently increased to 436 members and apportionment would be adjusted beginning with the first decennial census after admission. - The bill defines the federal Capital with a required 180-day survey, preserves federal court, prosecutorial, prison, parole, National Guard, and employee benefit arrangements on a temporary basis, and phases those responsibilities to the State as it certifies the necessary laws and personnel are in place.
HR20 — Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
Strengthens worker organizing rights and enforcement. The bill broadens who counts as an employee or joint employer and builds tougher remedies, penalties, and election rules to make organizing and bargaining easier to enforce and monitor. - Workers: Expands who is treated as an employee by tightening the three-part test for independent contractors and broadening the joint-employer test to include direct, indirect, and reserved control. It adds clear protections for strike participation and allows back pay without reduction and liquidated damages equal to twice awarded damages. - Employers: Requires prompt disclosure and new notice duties including a detailed voter list within two business days and multilingual employee notices. Noncompliance can trigger civil penalties including up to $50,000 per unfair labor practice, up to $10,000 per refusal to obey Board orders, and fines for posting or voter-list violations. - Elections, agencies, and unions: NLRB must adopt remote electronic voting within one year and aim to hold elections within twenty business days. The bill also boosts NLRB reporting and transparency, expands private suits, and creates new whistleblower protections and expedited enforcement.
HR1589 — American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
New pathways to permanent residence. This bill would create a ten‑year conditional permanent resident status for certain people who entered as children and would add an adjustment pathway for specified Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure holders. - Young long‑term residents and DACA‑eligible people could get a ten‑year conditional status if they meet rules like continuous presence since Jan 1, 2021 and education or credential benchmarks. They could convert to full permanent residence after meeting removal‑of‑condition rules and have limits on removal while applying. - Nationals with qualifying TPS or DED status who meet continuous‑presence rules could apply within a three‑year window and face a capped application fee of $1,140. - The bill creates a competitive grant program to help applicants, allows fee exemptions for youth, low‑income people, foster care alumni, and those with serious disabilities, and adds a $25 supplemental surcharge to fund appointed counsel.
HR15 — Equality Act
Adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal definition of sex and creates a uniform, nationwide nondiscrimination framework across employment, housing, credit, education, public accommodations, jury service, and programs that receive federal funds. The bill would harmonize definitions, remedies, and rules of construction across multiple civil rights statutes to make enforcement and claims more consistent. - Workers: Private and federal employees would gain explicit protection from discrimination for sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill would update Title VII rules, expand remedies, and adjust bona fide occupational qualification rules to account for gender identity. - People using public places, students, and tenants: Public accommodations and education laws would explicitly bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Fair Housing Act would adopt the same definitions and protections to cover renters and buyers. - Borrowers, juries, and enforcement: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act would bar credit discrimination on these bases. Jury selection rules would be updated to prevent discrimination. The bill would also prevent the Religious Freedom Restoration Act from being used to challenge enforcement under the covered civil rights laws.
HR14 — John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025
This bill would restore robust federal oversight of voting rights by rewriting Section 2 and creating a broad practice-based preclearance system. It sets new tests for vote-dilution and vote-denial claims, adds retrogression rules for actions on or after January 1, 2021, and requires extensive public notice, data disclosure, and observer powers. - Minority and language-minority voters: Provides clearer legal paths to challenge districting and practices that dilute or abridge votes, recognizes coalitions of minority groups, and applies retrogression rules to actions from January 1, 2021. - States and local election officials: Triggers preclearance using a 25-year lookback with numeric thresholds and creates an administrative bailout that requires demonstrating sustained compliance over a 10-year period to avoid coverage. - Enforcement, oversight, and courts: Expands who may sue to include private "aggrieved persons", centralizes observer authority in the Attorney General, and authorizes pre-suit inspection and information demands that courts may enforce or modify.
HR12 — Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
This bill would protect access to abortion before viability nationwide. It would block state rules that single out abortion, safeguard telemedicine and medication abortion, and protect the right to travel for care. - People seeking care and families: Would be able to obtain abortion prior to viability without residency limits, medically unnecessary tests, or required in‑person visits. About 63% of terminations are medication abortions and the bill limits extra drug restrictions beyond generally applicable rules. - Health care providers: Would be able to prescribe, dispense, and provide abortion through hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and telemedicine without facility, staffing, or credential rules that are stricter than comparable procedures. - People in restricted states and cross‑state travelers: Would have a protected right to travel for abortion and to assist others. By January 2025 abortion is unavailable in 14 states and 17.98 million people of reproductive age lack home‑state access, and travel time to facilities has quadrupled since Dobbs. - States and officials: The Attorney General and private parties could sue to enforce the Act, and courts could grant injunctions, declaratory relief, and award costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Create a free account to save research, track policy impacts, and unlock your personalized versions of these pages.
Already have an account? Sign in