Pennsylvania panel updates anti-discrimination regulations

By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania government panel has approved the addition of extensive definitions of sex, religious creed and race to nondiscrimination regulations. The proposal approved Thursday is a change some Republican lawmakers see as an overreach on a subject they think should not be addressed without legislation. It clarifies and enshrines into writing a set of definitions regarding the types of employment, housing, education and public accommodations discrimination complaints that can be brought before the Human Relations Commission. Advocacy groups say greater clarity about the terms sex, religious creed and race are helpful and a step forward.