November 2, 2007
Employment Non-Discrimination Act update report
United ENDA reports that the phone calls in the last two days have all been offices on the Hill and offices of the various organizations checking with each other to hear what has been heard about what is going on.
What has been heard is that the leadership is planning to take the bill, 3685, to the floor of the House. In the rumor going around, the Baldwin Amendment will be introduced onto the floor, debated, and then withdrawn prior to a vote. A vote will then be taken on 3685, a bill containing no protection against discrimination in the workplace on the basis of gender identity. This rumor has not been confirmed by Rep Tammy Baldwin's office or any of the leadership offices.
Links to two articles, in the Washington Blade and the New York Gay City News, are posted to the end of these notes. There is a similar story in CongressNow, a subscription service, to which no link is available.
United ENDA has been told that Members of Congress are still going to the leadership saying that they do not want to vote on the non-inclusive bill. Some congressional offices are saying that there will be no vote on 3685; others are saying that there will be a vote next week.
United ENDA says that what is most powerful for us are Members of Congress saying to the leadership that this is a flawed bill – pull the bill.
Whether you have contacted your US Representative or not, whether you know your representative is going to vote against the bill or for the bill, United ENDA says that calls and emails to the members of House of Representatives are important – calls that identify you as a constituent and say that you want your representative to encourage the pulling of any non-inclusive bill.
We are aware that the repeated appeals to call or email, the seemingly endless delay and uncertainty surrounding this bill and the Baldwin Amendment, and ever changing days on which this is going to go to the floor of House, all might contribute to a certain fatigue with the entire process. In response to that we can offer: all that is necessary for undesirable outcomes to happen is for those who want a specific outcome to stop advocating for it.
More information on Monday, hopefully with more definition.
Links to the two articles from Gay City News and Washington Blade.
