SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California State Senate today approved a bill designed to limit the ability of mental health providers in California to engage in dangerous sexual orientation change efforts (sometimes referred to as “ex-gay therapy,” “conversion therapy” or “reparative therapy”).

SACRAMENTO – The State Senate today passed legislation that will bar the State of California from entering into contracts in excess of $100,000 with businesses and other entities that deny equal benefits to the same-sex spouses of their employees.

The Equal Benefits bill (SB 117), authored by Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, passed in a 21-15 vote.

The bill now moves to the State Assembly.

SACRAMENTO – The first bill in the nation to include gender identity, sexual orientation and same-sex relationship status in state government surveys has made it out of committee.

The Survey Data Inclusion Act (SB 416), which would require the State of Califonria to add questions about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, domestic partnership status and the gender of a spouse as voluntary demographic information collected in California's government surveys, passed the Senate Governmental Organization committee in a 7-5 vote.