Date: Thu, 05 Sep 96 10:50:23 EST From: "Phil Attey" Subject: Senate Republican Leaders Torpedo Debate Agreement on DOMA ________________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, Sept. 5, 1996 SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADERS TORPEDO DEBATE AGREEMENT ON DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT Motivation: Fear that ENDA Would Pass WASHINGTON -- The so-called Defense of Marriage Act will not come to a vote in the Senate today because Republican leaders proposed a series of amendments intended to undermine the terms of debate, the Human Rights Campaign asserted. "We believe these amendments were offered when it became clear that our side was on the verge of passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as an amendment to the Defense of Marriage Act," said Winnie Stachelberg, HRC's deputy director for legislation. "However, the odds remain very favorable that ENDA will still come up for a vote in the this Senate." Late Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., announced that the anti-gay marriage bill was mired in controversy. They said they would continue negotiating over possible amendments, and indicated that the bill would probably come up for a vote in the Senate next week. The terms of debate on the anti-gay marriage bill were defined by a unanimous consent agreement reached before Congress recessed last month. Each side had agreed to offer up to four amendments to the overall bill. Almost immediately, HRC proposed offering the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as an amendment to the anti-gay marriage bill as a means to call the bluff of those extremist senators who claimed the Defense of Marriage Act was not motivated by bigotry. ENDA would outlaw employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., James Jeffords, R-Vt., and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., agreed to offer the ENDA amendment. However, the other amendments to the overall bill were not revealed publicly until Wednesday. The GOP's amendments were proposals to reimburse the legal fees of White House travel office employees; to revoke the District of Columbia's authority to reform its welfare program; and to block unions from using dues for political purposes. The Democrats offered three other amendments that would have expanded federal jurisdiction in hate crimes against gays; guaranteed new mothers up to 48 hours in the hospital after delivery; and deny guns to anyone convicted of domestic violence. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. - 30 -