Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank
reintroduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on
Wednesday with nearly half of its support stripped, gay
weekly Metro
Weekly
reported.
The 92 co-sponsor loss to the bill that
would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and
gender identity (transgender protections) represents nearly half its
support at the end of last year's congressional session.
The measure gathered 203 co-sponsors,
or 14 members shy of a House majority, before the close of the 111th
Congress. Frank reintroduced the bill with 111 co-sponsors.
Harry Gural, communications director
for Frank, minimized the loss: It's a “great number considering the
heavy loss of Democratic seats last election.”
“It's a start,” Fred Sainz, vice
president of communications at Human Rights Campaign, the nation's
largest gay rights advocate, told the paper. “The goal will be to
work back up to a number that exceeds last session's number with a
greater number of Republicans. We know that this is a building
session, and frankly, I wouldn't measure success by the number of
co-sponsors alone but by the amount of education and outreach we do
to members.”
Democrats hold 199 seats in Congress,
including 6 non-voting delegates.