OR-Sen: Jeff Merkley (D) & Jared Polis (D. CO-2) Reintroduce ENDA

DailyKos:

Today, Senator Jeff Merkley (D. OR) and Congressman Jared Polis (D. CO-2) reintroduced ENDA: http://www.ontopmag.com/...

Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado on Thursday reintroduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The bill seeks to outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida joined Polis in introducing the House version of the bill.

“Across our country, LGBT Americans face the daily fear of losing their jobs and livelihood simply because of who they are or who they love,” Polis said.

Ros-Lehtinen added: “No American should have to fear harassment at work, or risk losing their livelihood because of who they are. That is why Congress needs to work to get this bill passed and set a national standard of equality for all in the workplace.” - On Top Magazine, 4/25/13 Here's a little background info on ENDA: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... ENDA is a very simple bill. If passed into law, ENDA simply would make it illegal to discriminate in employment based on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. It is only about making sure that LGBT people have the opportunity to work and be judged on their merits. It exempts religious institutions and employers with fewer than 15 employees. ENDA is absolutely transgender-inclusive. Yes. Absolutely. Unequivocally. And while the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and our allies will remain vigilant to make sure that "gender identity" remains in the bill until it passes, we just call it "ENDA" now rather than "inclusive ENDA," because it isn't ENDA if transgender people aren't in it. For us, there's now "ENDA" with us or nothing at all. People are protected based on both gender identity and gender expression. The term that is used in ENDA is "gender identity," but it is defined, as in previous years, to include gender expression. The definition provided in the bill is this: "The term 'gender identity' means the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth." ENDA is still as urgently necessary as ever. Though we have made important advances in employment protections during the last few years (notably the EEOC ruling that transgender discrimination is sex discrimination, and President Obama protecting transgender federal employees), these wins are not final and do not cover all the issues we need to make explicitly illegal. Transgender and LGB people still definitely need ENDA. In addition to the clear legal protections that it would provide, ENDA will create a significant educational opportunity for employers to learn about transgender people and the fact that it is illegal to discriminate against us. - Huffington Post, 4/25/13

ENDA also has bipartisan support in the Senate: http://www.enewspf.com/...

Today, bipartisan coalitions in the House and Senate introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the House, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) have introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) with 153 original co-sponsors. The Senate bill is sponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

“Discrimination is just plain wrong.  It is shocking that there is still anywhere in America where it is legal to fire someone for their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Merkley said. “Americans understand that it’s time to make sure our LGBT friends and family are treated fairly and have the same opportunities as all Americans.  Now it’s time for our laws to catch up.  People should be judged at work on their ability to do the job, period.”

“The legacy of Senator Everett Dirksen, a fiscal conservative and social moderate from Illinois who helped pass the Civil Rights Act, guides the principles of this legislation,” Kirk said. “Our economy needs a productive, diverse, competitive workforce where the most qualified individuals are given opportunities, regardless of orientation.”

“I am proud to join a bi-partisan effort that advances our founding belief that all Americans are created equal under the law. Together, we believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at the American Dream and that our LGBT family members, friends, and neighbors deserve to be treated like everyone else in the United States,” Baldwin said. “This legislation is a reflection of our commitment to ending discrimination against our fellow citizens simply because of who they love. I am hopeful and optimistic that we can now move forward to build a tomorrow that is more equal, not less, for all Americans.” - eNews Park Forest, 4/25/13 The one Senator everyone is keeping their eye on regarding ENDA is Senator Rob Portman (R. OH): http://www.rollcall.com/...

In March, the Ohio Republican became the first GOP senator to support gay marriage, but Portman said Wednesday that he is still unsure whether he will support the legislative effort to expand federal equal opportunity labor laws to protect gay and lesbian workers. Portman has talked briefly with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., one of the five co-sponsors of the bill, but that conversation was not particularly substantive on either side. “We haven’t had any extensive discussions yet,” Portman said Wednesday. “I need to look at it.” Merkley, along with Democrats Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Tom Harkin of Iowa and Republicans Mark S. Kirk of Illinois and Susan Collins of Maine are the original co-sponsors of the bill being introduced. “Senator Portman is strongly opposed to discrimination and is looking at proposals to address it,” Portman spokeswoman Caitlin Dunn said in a statement. “He is concerned about excessive reliance on litigation as a tool for social change, but he has not studied the most recent version of ENDA.” - Roll Call, 4/24/13

People are also wondering what type of role President Obama will play in getting ENDA passed: http://www.metroweekly.com/...

Although the president has endorsed ENDA, which would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity nationwide, the White House has been mum on what, if anything, it plans to do to build support for a bill that has no clear path to passage in the House. As recently as Tuesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney deflected questions on what Obama has done to build support for ENDA, instead directing reporters to his broader record on LGBT rights. "He will work with like-minded lawmakers who support movement on this legislation to see it passed and hopefully signed into law," Carney said. "That's how this process works. This is the approach the president thought was the right one to take and he is encouraged by the progress being made." White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett recently said in an interview with Reuters that ENDA is a priority for the administration, adding, "Right now the votes aren't there, but that doesn't mean they won't be." According to Reuters, congressional aides say they have seen little evidence the White House is working to build support for ENDA. What role the president should play in the coming months as ENDA is debated on Capitol Hill remains a point of disagreement by supporters. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the champion of ENDA in the Senate, told Metro Weekly he sees endorsements from the business community and a majority of Fortune 500 companies as being critical for securing Republican support. "Quite frankly, I'm not sure the president is the key to this. I think the key is we have 15 states that have a track record that has worked very well for business and very well for the opportunity of citizens," Merkley said. - Metro Weekly, 4/25/13

29 states are legally allowed to fire employees based on their sexual orientation: http://www.businessinsider.com/...

There are 29 states in America where it's totally legal to fire workers just for being gay, but one lawmaker is trying to do something to change that. Nearly 40% of all openly lesbian, gay, or bisexual employees say they've experienced discrimination or harassment at work, according to a 2011 study by the Williams Institute. And 9% say they've lost a job because they were openly gay. - Business Insider, 4/24/13

The Human Rights Campaign is building momentum for people to put the pressure on their Senators to get behind ENDA:

For LGBT Americans, "equal opportunity" means little without strong federal protections against workplace discrimination. Right now in 29 states, there is no state law protecting a lesbian, gay or bisexual person from being fired just because of who they are – and the same is true in 34 states for transgender people. We urgently need to update federal law so that LGBT people in every corner of the country don't have to be afraid to be open in the workplace. Today, ENDA is being reintroduced in both the House and Senate by bipartisan groups of legislators. While hostile Republicans control the House of Representatives, there's a real change to make legislative progress on ENDA in the Senate. But your Senators need to hear from you. We need to tell them that the time has long-since come to adopt this common-sense, widely-popular legislation and ensure LGBT people have this most basic of protections under law. Send a letter your Senators now. Your letter can help us build the momentum for ENDA in the Senate and get us another step closer to seeing this important bill finally become law! https://secure3.convio.net/...

You can sign HCR's petition here: https://secure3.convio.net/... You can also put pressure on the White House to make an executive decision on ENDA: 202-456-1111 And if you would like to thank Merkley and Polis for reintroducing ENDA, you can donate to their re-election campaign here:

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