“Discrimination rears its ugly head in many forms and knows no bounds. It’s born out of hatred and ignorance and leaves inequality and pain in its wake. That’s unacceptable and shameful, especially when it occurs in the workplace.

“This past year has not only served as a reckoning on sexual harassment and misconduct, but has forced us to look deeper and truly confront the ills of our society. All across the country, brave individuals have come forward, breaking the silence and ensuring despicable behavior is no longer swept under the rug. We took action in the state budget by passing a comprehensive sexual harassment policy. That was an important first step, but we need to go further in protecting New Yorkers by expanding the law to include all discrimination (A.10461).

“The legislation I helped pass would establish a model policy and model training program to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, creed, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, familial status, marital status, predisposing genetic characteristics or domestic violence victim status.

“The Assembly’s message is clear: Whether the problem is sexual harassment or discrimination, absolutely no one should ever feel unsafe or unequal, especially at work.”