On Monday night the Senate voted to move forward with discussing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which is a bill that will help protect the rights of gays and lesbians in the workplace. The bill has been at a standstill with a lack of support, and was shot down in the Senate back in 1996.

Now, after last night’s vote, the bill should easily pass in the Senate, where several of the Republicans who have been in staunch opposition to it have finally agreed to support the bill. Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from the state of Utah who is known for his extremely conservative views, also voted in favor of ENDA.

Next Obstacle

ENDA’s next big obstacle is making it through the House of Representatives, where House Speaker John Boehner has made his disdain for the bill very public. In a statement from a spokesperson on Monday, Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, said he would oppose the bill when it came to the House. With the Republicans currently in control of the House of Representatives, the legislation could easily die in the next phase.

Supporters Optimistic

ENDA’s supporters are happy with the results of the Senate vote, and after a struggle that lasted well over a decade, seeing the bill finally moving forward has left them elated. It seems that the legislation’s major supporters believe the time for the bill to finally become law has finally arrived.
Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat from the state of Iowa and the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said that passing the bill last night is “a huge step forward, one too long in coming.”

17 Year Wait Finally Over

The last time ENDA came up for a vote with the Senate was in 1996, and it was defeated by a single vote at that time. This instance was called a “dark day” by Senator Harkin when he spoke on Monday to the other Senators. He also noted that America had “changed dramatically” in relationship to public opinion on gay rights. He pointed out that 21 states currently have legislation that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the workforce. Now it appears the bill will be moving forward to the next step.

Religious Exemptions

Conservatives, such as Hatch, have finally voted in support of the bill because of the changes allowing religious organizations to remain exempt from the guidelines. Some of the conservatives still want to see stronger exemptions set forth for religious organizations, and no doubt, as the Senate debate continues this week, these changes will be brought up.

Many politicians and celebrities have made their support of the bill known. These include Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, who said that Apple already provides more protection to workers than the law requires.

We will keep you up to date on the latest news involving ENDA and the results of any action taken on the legislation.