Out Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass. ) last week introduced a measure to prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Frank was initially scheduled to submit the Employment Nondiscrimination Act late last month but delayed its introduction until April 6 as he collected cosponsors.
This incarnation of the bill has 112 cosponsors, five fewer than when it was introduced at the beginning of last session, and 91 fewer than the 203 supporters it ended the session with.
The cosponsors are largely Democratic, including Pennsylvania Congressmembers Michael Doyle (14th Dist.), Allyson Schwartz (13th Dist.), Bob Brady (1st Dist.) and Chaka Fattah (2nd Dist.).
The bill is cosponsored by three Republicans, including Pennsylvania Congressman Todd Russell Platts (R-19th Dist.), who has cosponsored the measure in the past and voted in favor of it when it came to the House floor in 2007.
Republicans gained control of the House in last year’s mid-term election, and also made significant gains in the Senate.
Frank said the new makeup of the legislature will not be conducive to the passage of ENDA this session, which he has said will be used instead as a vehicle to open discussion on the topic of LGBT employment discrimination.
— Jen Colletta