ENDA to be introduced Thursday

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act will be introduced in both chambers of Congress

Published April 23, 2013 1:28PM (EDT)

Both the House and the Senate will introduce ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a key piece of gay rights legislation that prevents discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people in the workplace.

The Washington Blade reports:

The bill will be reintroduced in the House by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), the most senior openly gay member of the chamber, who’s taking over the legislation now that former Rep. Barney Frank has retired. In the Senate, the legislation will be reintroduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The lawmakers’ offices confirmed they would introduce ENDA concurrently on Thursday.

Though the White House has said it plans to make ENDA's passage a priority, though it has not made much headway, and the legislation has had a hard time getting any traction in Congress. Supporters of the legislation hope that with the recent slew of Senators who have come out in support of gay marriage, ENDA will have more of a fighting chance.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Congress Enda Gay Rights Jared Polis Jeff Merkley