Nevada Senator Dean Heller on Monday announced his support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), making him the critical 60th vote needed for passage in the Senate.

The Nevada Republican joins all 55 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the Senate supporting passage of the measure.

“After listening to Nevadans' concerns about this issue from a variety of viewpoints and after numerous conversations with my colleagues, I feel that supporting this legislation is the right thing to do,” Heller said in a statement. “Under the leadership of this governor, as well as the legislature over the past several years Nevada has established a solid foundation of anti-discrimination laws. This legislation raises the federal standards to match what we have come to expect in Nevada, which is that discrimination must not be tolerated under any circumstance.”

On Sunday, President Barack Obama called on Congress to approve ENDA.

The measure, which seeks to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, is expected to have its first test in the full Senate on Monday.

The bill, however, faces an uphill battle in the House, where Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, has repeatedly voiced his opposition.

Boehner “believes this legislation will increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs, especially small business jobs,” a spokesman said Monday.