Posted on 11/08/2013 2:47:18 PM PST by NYer
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This afternoon the Senate approved a bill that could force business owners who adhere to traditional values to hire homosexuals, bisexuals, and those who do not dress in accordance with their biological sex or face litigation.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed following a bipartisan 64-32 vote.
Supporters say it would forbid “workplace discrimination” against homosexuals and transgender employees and job-seekers. But critics say, like the HHS mandate, its religious exemption is unduly narrow and would force employers – including Christian schools and nurseries – to violate their consciences.
Its protections for “transgender” workers would allow a biological male who self-identifies as a female to use the company's women's restroom or locker room. It would also allow employees to sue if they believed they had faced “discrimination” on the job, experienced a hostile work environment, or had not received a job because of their sexual preference or cross-dressing habits.
All Senate Democrats voted for its approval except Pennsylvania's Bob Casey, who did not vote.
Ten of the chamber's 45 Republicans also voted yes, including John McCain, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, and Lisa Murkowski.
Only one senator spoke against ENDA on the Senate floor, Dan Coats of Indiana.
President Obama hailed the bill's speedy passage. “Today’s victory is a tribute to all those who fought for this progress ever since a similar bill was introduced after the Stonewall riots more than three decades ago,” he said, adding that the bill is backed by a number of “corporations” and “faith communities.”
While the bill exempts churches and houses of worship and some affiliated institutions, it does not include many overtly religious nonprofits or business owners. The New York Times called these protections “unduly broad.” But the Becket Fund called the bill's religious exemption “manifestly inadequate."
This morning the Senate adopted, by voice vote, an amendment offered by Republicans Rob Portman and Kelly Ayotte that religious institutions protected by the act would not lose federal funding or other government partnerships if they opposed homosexuality. The Family Research Council's David Christensen, said the amendment did nothing to change the fact that ENDA “removes the ability of non-profits, para-church ministries, and individual business owners to make their own decisions about appropriate conduct in the workplace.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid candidly told the homosexual newspaper The Washington Blade that he believed the amendment was merely “an effort by them to have a reason for joining the bill.”
Senators rejected an amendment from Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey to apply the bill to businesses “in whole or in substantial part owned, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or by a particular religious corporation, association, or society.” Toomey also supported the final bill.
The bill's broad reach threatens faithful business owners, its critics say. The Catholic bishops conference (USCCB) warned ENDA could “punish” those who hold traditional religious views, including Catholics and evangelicals.
“ENDA would lead to a form of reverse discrimination,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said this afternoon. “Anyone who expresses or promotes a view of family or morality that can be interpreted to be a disapproval of homosexual or transgender conduct will be subject to retaliation and discrimination.”
The group referred lawmakers to numerous lawsuits and complaints of alleged “homophobia,” some costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The potential to harm business owners convinced House Speaker John Boehner to come out against the bill, saying it will not enjoy a vote in the lower chamber. President Obama has hinted he may sign an executive order including the bill's provisions if it is not adopted into law.
In this afternoon's vote our senators, including one Democrat, did not vote today.
Republicans who voted yes include Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Dean Heller of Nevada, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
You may view vote results here.
Time for conservative Christians to run for office as democrats. Seriously. The low-information voters will vote for you and they are apparently the ones who elect people.
Yep, Republican traitors giving a sledgehammer over to the hands of radical libs, who will immediate begin using it to attack and destroy Christians and Christian business-owners. Don’t want to hire this perverted drag-queen freak? Well be prepared to be sued out of existence... losing your business, losing your home, losing your livelihood.
America is so dead. A putrid socialist cesspool of faggotry, dopeheads, and degeneracy.
Obama cannot be bothered with the Constitution. He has shredded it and no one is even trying to stop him. America is crumbling right before our eyes.
What’s going to happen in the House on this piece of crap?
Figures. Both of my RINO asshole senators from Arizona approved! I voted for the democrat instead of McCain, but I actually made the mistake of voting for McFlake. I’ve sent him a dozen obscene emails, and get an automated reply.
For the good of the country these ten must be replaced with conservatives. Remember the list of 10.
I knew Baldwin (WI) would vote yes - she’s a hardcore lesbian that the Madison folks got elected by a hair.
Bipartisan, eh.
That’s when the stupid party and the evil party get together and do something that is both stupid and evil.
I hadn’t heard of this bill so mostly clicked on this to figure out what the bill was about. The MINUTE, the very MINUTE I saw McLame’s picture, I knew it was something that most Americans would not support. There’s no other way the man votes.
Her proximity to MA and VT has poisoned her outlook.
You will be happy to know you make my brain explode!
“Bipartisan, eh.”
Brings to mind Bisexual. Do anything with anyone.
Anything like Buy-partisan?
“Alinsky viewed revolution as a slow, patient process. The trick was to penetrate existing institutions such as churches, unions and political parties.” He advised organizers and their disciples to quietly, subtly gain influence within the decision-making ranks of these institutions, and to introduce changes from that platform. This was precisely the tactic of “infiltration” advocated by Lenin and Stalin.
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We have moved well past liberalism ... to communism.This is why you no longer recognize the GOP.
Look at Toomey, he was the savior before. Remember how he was betrayed in 2004? Remember how he was loved? Now he is on the hard left. Toomey, DeMint, Coburn. The all go left eventually. Why wait to be betrayed by Cruz? It's better to be stabbed in the front.
The House has already indicated it will not pass.
Did I miss Pansy Graham’s vote somewhere?
I see Enzi from Wyoming voted Nay. I wonder how Cheney would have voted if elected.
Did I miss Pansy Graham’s vote somewhere?
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Graham (R-SC), Nay
I'll just bet he did....
We will not exist as we are - we won't even be close.
We don't even make it to the next presidential election....
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