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U.S. troops leave the Ali al-Baiyaa mosque area in Baghdad in April. Concerns about the defense authorization bill that funds the Iraq war may keep it from passing, creating a new obstacle for the hate crimes provision attached to it. (Photo by Todd Pitman/AP)
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: LOU CHIBBARO J COMMENTS
 
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passed ENDA on Nov. 7 by a vote of 235 to 184, with 35 Republicans joining 200 Democrats in backing the bill by a comfortable margin.
The vote came nearly two months later than originally expected due to disagreements among Democrats over whether to include a provision protecting transgender persons from employment discrimination.
The White House said in October that President George Bush objects to multiple provisions in the defense authorization bill, to which a hate crimes measure is attached. (Photo by AP) |
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In a highly controversial decision, House Democratic leaders removed the transgender provision after determining they did not have the votes to pass a trans-inclusive bill. Some Capitol Hill observers have speculated that the fight over the transgender issue prompted Kennedy to hold off introducing ENDA in the Senate until the dust settled over the transgender dispute. Kennedy’s delay in introducing the bill in the Senate may have made it too late for the Senate to vote on ENDA this year, some supporters have said.
“We’re still considering our options and we’re working with the leadership to see if we can get floor time to debate it, but it will be difficult,” said Melissa Wagoner, Kennedy’s press secretary.
Manley said Reid disputes claims by some political observers that the Senate would be reluctant to take up ENDA in 2008 because of election year pressure not to vote on a gay rights bill.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Manley, who added that Reid would consider including ENDA as one of several important bills held over from this year that are set for Senate action in early 2008.
In a related development, Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay political group, announced this week that its congressional scorecard for the 2008 election would add or subtract points from House members depending on how they voted on ENDA and a motion to recommit the bill to committee. The motion, which was defeated, would have killed the bill had it passed.
HRC drew complaints from some gay and transgender activists when it said it would subtract rating points from all House members who voted against ENDA, including the seven gay-supportive Democrats who said they voted “no” in protest over the bill’s lack of protection for transgender persons.
“We expect all seven of these members to receive high scorecard ratings, reflecting their strong support for th
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