A bill that would ban workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians will be voted on in the Senate on Monday, bringing back memories of a very similar bill, which narrowly failed to pass Senate in 1996. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said it “was a dark day,” but the prospects look more optimistic now. It is expected that the bill will go pass in the Senate, but the House is a little less clear. “We have the 60 votes, and I’m predicting Mr. President that we’ll have more than 60 votes,” Harkin said on the Senate floor Monday. “People should understand this is a momentous day.” However, John Boehner’s press secretary Michael Steel echoed the House speaker’s opposition to the bill, saying, “The Speaker believes this legislation will increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs, especially small business jobs.”
The Obama administration has ardently encouraged Congress to pass the bill, called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and a White House statement said, “Passage of this bill is long overdue.”
