Mary Gay Scanlon: “Today we will move forward on three pieces of legislation whose timely consideration is long overdue. We will move to…”

“Today we will move forward on three pieces of legislation whose timely consideration is long overdue. We will move to protect Americans' access to health insurance; provide much-needed relief on prescription drug prices; provide Federal recognition to a Native American community; and at long last, pass the Equality Act, to remove the burden of discrimination and move us closer to a country where members of the LGBTQ community have an equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The Equality Act will not be the end of our long journey towards full LGBTQ equality, but it will finally get our laws in line with the values our country was founded upon. As was recognized in our founding documents, we must continually take steps to make our country more perfect. Acknowledging in law the challenges facing LGBTQ people, and taking concrete action to correct them, brings us one step closer to that perfect union. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question.”