Leno was elected to the California Senate in November. Last year as a member of the Assembly, he pushed through a similar bill only to have it vetoed by the governor.

It passed the legislature with little difficulty, but Schwarzenegger  said that while he respected the measure’s intent, he thought Milk’s “contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level.”

May 22 is Milk’s birth date. He would have been 79 this year.

Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and shot to death a year later, along with Mayor George Moscone, by former supervisor Dan White.

White was convicted of manslaughter, and served a little more than three years in prison before committing suicide.

In the years since his death, Milk has become one of the most recognizable martyrs of the gay rights movement.

The film Milk starring Sean Penn garnered kudos and is considered likely to be nominated for a number of Academy Awards.

Leno’s bill is one of two pro-gay bills to come up this session of the California legislature.  The other would protect home ownership for same-sex couples.

The bill, filed by Assembly Member Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), would allow two people, including same-sex couples, who co-own a home together to avoid an unfair property tax increase upon the death of one of the co-owners. The bill is nearly identical to a measure that passed the legislature last year but was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.

The governor has not said if he will support either bill this time around.

The Human Rights Campaign on Monday released its 2009 “Buying for Equality” to help consumers identify hundreds of businesses and brands that support equality and fairness in the workplace for the LGBT community.

The guide includes listings from a record 260 companies that received a perfect 100 percent score on HRC’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index, an annual report on company policies related to diversity & inclusion training, non-discrimination policies and access to healthcare for LGBT employees and their families.

“With this year’s economy, we need to make sure every dollar we spend goes to businesses that have earned the right to call you a customer,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

“Every day, we make choices that send a powerful message about our values, our principles and our ideals.  We do it every time we make decisions on how to clothe and feed our families or what investments to make.  Where we spend and invest our dollars has remarkable potential to positively affect the LGBT community because it reinforces what many companies know: fairness is good business.”

The guide is broken down into sections including Apparel & Accessories; Banking & Finance; Eating Out; Home & Garden and Technology.

HRC also has a separate list of the businesses and organizations that supported California’s Proposition 8. The amendment passed on Election Day that eliminates the right for same-sex couples to marry in the state.  Although several Fortune 500 companies and organizations contributed to the No on 8 Campaign, no Fortune 500 companies were found to have contributed to the Yes on 8 Campaign.

This is the fourth year the Human Rights Campaign has published the “Buying for Equality” guide. This year, it included businesses that did not respond to survey request over the past three years.

According to a Witeck-Combs/Market Research.com study, the buying power of the LGBT community is estimated to be $759 billion in 2009.

“During difficult economic times, our nation’s businesses know that every dollar spent by consumers figures into the success of their organization,” said in a statement.