The U.S. Senate will consider a bill
seeking to ban anti-LGBT workplace bias next week.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA) seeks workplace protections based on sexual orientation and
gender identity. The bill, first proposed in 1994, cleared a Senate
committee with the help of three Republicans in July.
Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
told BuzzFeed
on Wednesday that the bill would come up for a vote next week.
“Late last night, [Senate Majority]
Leader [Harry] Reid informed [Senate Minority] Leader [Mitch]
McConnell that the Senate will consider ENDA next week. It's still
unclear as to when Leader Reid will file for cloture.”
The announcement caps three days in
which three remaining Democratic holdouts in the Senate announced
their support for the measure.
Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia,
Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Bill Nelson of Florida endorsed the
measure this week.
With a united Democratic front, the
measure is within one vote of gaining the support it needs to clear
the Senate.
A possible fourth Republican vote could
come from Ohio's Rob Portman, who earlier this week said he was
leaning in that direction. Portman announced in March his support for
marriage equality. He said he reversed his stance after learning
that his son is gay.