I am pleased that the Governor has now signed into law several bills which are designed to help and protect women.

The Senate had passed these measures unanimously the past two years, and the Governor signed them into law yesterday.

Known as the “Women’s Equality Agenda,” the legislation includes:

• A new law to ensure equal pay for women;
• A new law cracking down on sexual harassment in the workplace;
• A new law to protect pregnant women from workplace discrimination;
• A new law providing domestic violence victims with a safer, more accessible avenue for obtaining an order of protection;
• A new law, known as the “Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act” that toughens penalties against those who engage in the outrageous crime of human trafficking;
• A new law to prohibit workplace discrimination based on family status, which will protect women from bias in employment, pay and advancement;
• A new law to prohibit discrimination in housing based upon domestic violence status; and
• A new law to allow reimbursement of reasonable attorney’s fees in employment and credit discrimination cases when sex is a basis of discrimination.