The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to debate and vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 6), and insiders say it has the votes to pass.
But there will likely be only muted congratulations for those who pushed for the bill's historic first vote ever in the House.
The House Democratic leadership has already made clear that it will not allow a vote on an amendment from Rep. Tammy Baldwin to add gender identity back into the bill. And in a stinging rebuke to more than 300 LGBT organizations which waged an unprecedented campaign to support that amendment, the Human Rights Campaign announced Tuesday morning that it has signed onto a letter supporting passage of ENDA without the amendment.
Meanwhile, the bill will face at least two other amendments -to clarify that the bill does not affect the Defense of Marriage Act and to stipulate that its religious exemption is the same as that defined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
And, Republicans are expected to orchestrate an effort to send the bill back to committee in hopes of defeating it.
Debate is expected to begin in the afternoon, east coast time.
