Kennedy to Back
ENDA in Senate

Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy will push for a Senate vote this year for the version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that excludes transgender protections, which passed the House in 2007, according to the Washington Blade.

While he said in November that he hoped the Senate would pass the transgender-inclusive version of the bill, the announcement confirms where he stands on the current version.

"Although Senator Kennedy strongly supports protections against job discrimination for transgender workers, inaction won't advance justice for anyone and will just make it harder to pass any version of ENDA in 2009," Kennedy spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner told the Blade. The transgender-noninclusive version passed in the House on a 235-184 vote.

"Because the same legislation must pass both the House and Senate, now that the House has acted, the only realistic way to get a bill to the president's desk this Congress is to have the Senate pass the House bill," Wagoner said.

Kennedy and Senate cosponsor Gordon Smith, a Republican from Oregon, have said they were hoping to line up a bipartisan "super majority" of at least 60 senators to avoid a filibuster and ensure the bill's passage. (The Advocate)