Senate Bill 398 - Equality For All

• Expands housing discrimination protections to include sexual orientation, gender identity, military/veteran status, and genetic information alongside existing protections for race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, and familial status.

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

• Creates new "Equal Access to Public Accommodations Act" prohibiting discrimination based on protected status in public establishments, with complaints investigated by the Human Relations Commission; allows separate bathrooms/facilities based on gender but requires access based on gender identity.

• Prohibits discrimination in credit lending, insurance coverage rates and terms, and educational institutions (public schools, charter schools, community colleges, and UNC system) based on expanded protected class categories.

• Protects jury service eligibility from exclusion based on protected status and directs the Legislative Research Commission to review state antidiscrimination laws for comprehensive legislative proposals; effective July 1, 2023.