Bill to prevent LGBT workplace discrimination advances in the Senate

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed out of a committee by a vote of 15-7

Published July 10, 2013 4:40PM (EDT)

A Senate committee has advanced legislation to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT people, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 15-7 to pass ENDA, with three Republicans, Sens. Mark Kirk, Ill., Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Orrin Hatch, Utah, among those who supported the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said that he expects the legislation to get a full Senate vote "soon." Though the legislation currently has 53 co-sponsors, it's not clear whether it will be able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

"This bill renews our historical commitment to the advancement of civil rights, and to the American ideal of a meritocracy in which people are judged on their talent, ability, and qualifications—not by the color of their skin, their religion, their gender, their national origin, their age, whether they have a disability, their sexual orientation, or their gender identity," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the HELP Committee, in a statement.


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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Employment Discrimination Enda Lgbt Rights Tom Harkin U.s. Senate