Assemblymember Phil Steck (D-Colonie) announced that the Assembly, for a second straight year, passed the ten point Women’s Equality Act (A.8070). The act represents ten distinct reforms that would end sexist and discriminatory practices, ensure reproductive rights, protect victims of domestic violence and bring fairness to the women of New York.

“The Women’s Equality Act reaffirms that equal rights are just that, equal, Assemblymember Steck said. “It is unconscionable that women in 2014 still face such inequalities, and each of the ten planks represents my commitment to righting these wrongs.”

The Women’s Equality Act achieves the following:

• Prevents sexual harassment in the workplace
• Achieves pay equity
• Protects reproductive rights
• Strengthens human trafficking laws
• Protects domestic violence victims
• Ends housing discrimination for victims of domestic violence
• Ends family status discrimination
• Prevents pregnancy discrimination
• Removes barriers to remedying discrimination
• Stops source-of-income discrimination

“As a civil rights attorney I have made protecting and fighting for equal rights my life’s work and I bring that same dedication to the Assembly,” said Steck. “I now call on my colleagues in the Senate to put aside misguided opposition and pass the Women’s Equality Act as one piece of legislation and let equality once again be paramount in New York.”

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