Senate Bill 455 - Equality for All

• Expands protected classes in housing discrimination law to include sexual orientation, gender identity, military/veteran status, age, and genetic information, while maintaining religious exemptions for faith-based organizations.

• Extends employment discrimination protections across state agencies, local governments, and private employers with one or more employees to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, marital/familial status, military/veteran status, and genetic information.

• Creates new public accommodations protections prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital/familial status, military/veteran status, and genetic information; allows separate facilities based on sex but requires access based on gender identity.

• Adds discrimination protections to credit lending and insurance industries using the same expanded protected classes and establishes enforcement mechanisms through the North Carolina Human Relations Commission.

• Applies nondiscrimination requirements to public and private schools, community colleges, and universities, with complaints handled by the Human Relations Commission; prohibits jury exclusion based on protected characteristics.

• Effective date: July 1, 2019.