U.S. Senate Passes ENDA Bill
The U.S. Senate voted 64-32 on Nov. 7 to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The U.S. Senate voted 64-32 on Nov. 7 in passing S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, known as ENDA, which would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Senate had failed to pass ENDA by one vote in 1996 when the House of Representatives rejected it. It is widely believed the House majority leadership will not bring the bill to the floor for a vote. A few days ago, President Obama wrote an op-ed article for The Huffington Post in favor of the bill and urged both houses of Congress to pass it.
"Americans ought to be judged by one thing only in their workplaces: their ability to get their jobs done," he wrote. "Does it make a difference if the firefighter who rescues you is gay -- or the accountant who does your taxes, or the mechanic who fixes your car? If someone works hard every day, does everything he or she is asked, is responsible and trustworthy and a good colleague, that's all that should matter."