Tag Archives: Congress

HRC’s Back Story blog has the video of yesterday’s celebratory post-ENDA press conference. Choice quotes: Barney Frank: “Knowing the feeling of pride and support and vindication that many of us who are gay and lesbians feel, underlines the importance of our extending that to others who aren’t allowed to feel that today, and yet they are entitled to that same …

ABOVE LEFT: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) angrily rips the Republicans for the attempt to kill the bill by recommitting it. If you only watch one of these clips, make it this one. ABOVE RIGHT: Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on her t-inclusive amendment. ABOVE LEFT: Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks in favor of ENDA, just prior to the vote. ABOVE RIGHT: Rep. …

Matt Foreman – National Gay & Lesbian Task Force “We are deeply disappointed that House leadership decided to ignore the position of a vast majority of LGBT organizations, ignore the legal assessment that this bill may not even provide adequate protections for gays, lesbians and bisexuals, and ignore the fact that this vote might make it more difficult to persuade …

By a vo e of 235-184, he House of Represen a ives has approved he Employmen Non-Discrimina ion Ac , which is he first na ional gay righ s legisla ion in he his ory of he Uni edS a es. hirty-five Republicans crossed par y lines to suppor ENDA..

Unsurprisingly, Republican legislators are trying a number of tactics to stall today’s ENDA vote, including a lengthy debate of a procedural issue (requiring a vote) and a call to adjourn for the day, which failed. Many reps have made impassioned speeches on both sides of the issue. Dennis Kucinich struck early by voicing strenuous objection to the removal of the …

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is currently speaking to a joint meeting of Congress, after which the House will vote on ENDA. I’ll report the result here immediately.

A Senate panel just cleared the nomination of Michael B. Mukasey as Alberto Gonzales’ replacement as Attorney General, despite concern that Mukasey has refused to condemn waterboarding as torture. The full Senate will now likely approve Mukasey later this week. Over on the House side, I’ve been monitoring C-SPAN2 for today’s supposed ENDA vote, but so far the only business …

Wackjob closet case “Porno” Pete LaBabera, the guy who sends undercover camera crews to International Mr. Leather and Folsom Street Fair, is claiming on his Americans For Truth About Homosexuality site that White House staffers were involved in crafting the religious exemptions to ENDA, possibly signaling that President Bush would not veto the bill. Americans For Truth has learned that …

ENDA comes to a vote in the House on Wednesday, when Republicans (and a few Democrats) will argue to send it back to committee, which would effectively kill it for the current session. If ENDA does indeed pass, Rep. Tammy Baldwin will then propose an amendment reattaching transgender protections. Wednesday promises to be nerve-wracking. I will be following the vote …

The Democrats’ ploy of attaching the federal hates crimes bill (the Matthew Shepard Act) as an amendment to a Department of Defense appropriations bill did not work because the Dems also attached an amendment requiring troops to pull out of Iraq by May 1, prompting Republicans to plan a filibuster on the item. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) pulled …

Led by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the House Judiciary Committee just voted 22-17 in a decision that forces the full House to vote whether to hold White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former staff lawyer Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress for refusing to submit to subpoenas regarding the Alberto Gonzales scandal. The White House contends that all …

Nancy Pelosi’s pledge to pass six critical bills in the new Congress’ first 100 hours has been met in only 42 hours, 15 minutes. – Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission enacted. – National minimum wage raised to $7.15. – Bush’s restrictions on stem-cell research overturned. – HHS required to negotiate Medicare prescription costs with drug manufacturers. – Federal student loan …