No ENDA Vote Planned

UPDATE: A media report citing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as pledging to put the Employment Non-Discrimination Act up for a vote before the end of the year was debunked late Thursday by sources included in the conference call in which she participated.

Politico reported Thursday that the Speaker said she was working to bring the bill, which would bar employers from discriminating against workers based solely on their sexual orientation, to a vote by the end of the term. However, an unnamed source who was also on the call told the Washington Bladethat the leaked information was dragged out of context. Pelosi mentioned ENDA when running through a list of bills that were not addressed this term.

Aaron Albright, a spokesperson for the House Education and Labor Committee said the committee members have no plans to address the bill during the lame duck period. Additionally, a Pelosi spokesman said "no decisions" have been made on pushing ENDA or other outlying bills.

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Outgoing House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she aims to schedule a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it illegal for employers to fire workers based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill passed the House in 2007 amid much controversy when language that would have protected transgender people was dropped. It did not come to a vote in the Senate. According to Politico, Pelosi announced her plan during a conference call. She did not set a time line, but indicated that the vote must happen before the lame-duck session ends in December.

Despite losing her position as speaker, Pelosi won reelection in her California district with 80% of the vote.