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SCR 11

REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION TO AMEND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND GENDER IDENTITY IN EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, EDUCATION, FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS, CREDIT, AND JURY SERVICE.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Karl Rhoads

Hawaii urges Congress to amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public services nationwide.

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 826).
#federalequalityact #sex #andgenderidentity #sexualorientation
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Bill Summary · SCR 11

Legislative bill overview

SCR 11 is a state resolution from Hawaii requesting that the U.S. Congress amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity across employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. This is a non-binding resolution expressing Hawaii's legislative preference rather than enacting state law directly.

Why is this important

Current federal civil rights protections do not uniformly cover sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination across all sectors, leaving gaps that vary by state. A federal amendment would standardize protections nationwide, affecting millions of Americans' access to jobs, housing, and services. This reflects ongoing national debate about the scope of civil rights protections in the post-Bostock era (where the Supreme Court ruled sex discrimination includes sexual orientation in employment).

Potential points of contention

  • Scope and definition disputes: Disagreements over how "sex," "sexual orientation," and "gender identity" are defined and applied in practice, particularly regarding accommodations for transgender individuals in facilities like bathrooms and shelters
  • Religious exemption tension: Questions about whether and how religious organizations, schools, and businesses should be exempted from these protections, balancing civil rights against religious liberty claims
  • Federal vs. state authority: Conservative opposition to federal expansion of civil rights mandates, preferring state-level determination of anti-discrimination standards

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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