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 Employment Non-Discrimination Human Rights Campaign Applauds a Bi-Partisan Committee Vote Bodes Well -- Say Observers, For Passage of ENDA in the Senate |
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Compiled By GayToday
"This historic bipartisan voice vote is a momentous step towards a day when all Americans are treated equally in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "We believe that today's events put ENDA on the fast-track for passage in the Senate. We thank members of the committee who voted in favor of ENDA, particularly Sen. Kennedy, for his phenomenal leadership and steadfast support." The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., considered ENDA early this morning. During the mark-up, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her support of the bill. "I have reached the decision to support ENDA because, in the final analysis, I simply do not believe it is fair to allow discrimination in the workplace against men and women solely because of their sexual orientation," said Collins in her statement. Sen. Collins also offered two amendments that were accepted by voice vote that brought ENDA more in line with provisions in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has committed to securing a vote on this bill before the end of the session. ENDA also has unprecedented support from the business community with 65 companies, including 29 major corporations, having endorsed the legislation. Some of the companies that have endorsed ENDA are: AT&T, Coors, Xerox, FleetBoston, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, General Mills and Shell Oil. "The Employment Non-Discrimination Act goes to the core of what this nation is all about: Giving all our citizens the fundamental right to be judged on one's own merits," said Shell Oil CEO Steve Miller, who wrote to the committee. "We encourage the Congress to move expeditiously to pass this common-sense legislation." ENDA also has support from labor groups such as the AFL-CIO. "The AFL-CIO is committed to the principle of equality and we urge Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "It is time all working men and women, regardless of sexual orientation, are treated fairly in the workplace. Only by passing ENDA will all workers be protected from discrimination and be judged on the job by the value of their work." Currently, it is legal to fire someone in 38 states because of sexual orientation. The twelve states that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Additionally, the District of Columbia prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
A nationwide Harris Interactive poll also taken in June 2001 found that 61 percent of Americans favored a federal law prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Additionally, the survey found that 42 percent of adults surveyed believe that such a law currently exists. HRC has produced a 48-page report, Documenting Discrimination, which gives specific examples of people who were discriminated against in the workplace because of their real or perceived sexual orientation. Documenting Discrimination: http://www.hrc.org/publications/index.asp Information about ENDA: http://www.hrc.org/issues/federal_leg/enda/index.asp. |
