Will Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota support S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)?
Though he might seem to be leaning yes, we don't know where he is on this important bill. Please call him and ask.
I remind you that there will be a Senate hearing next Thursday, November 5, which we will be liveblogging at Bilerico. Please join us at 10 a.m. to get commentary as the Committee members and the witnesses discuss ENDA.
There are 23 members of the Senate Committee that will be hearing this matter. 11 are confirmed yes votes, 11 are unconfirmed, and 1 is a confirmed no vote. Click here to see their positions.
Contact info about Senator Johnson, and more after the jump.
Senator Johnson was a co-sponsor of the hate crimes bill in this Congress and the last one, and he voted against the Republican filibuster and for the bill.
It seems like Senator Johnson would be "leaning yes" on this bill.
Interestingly, Wikipedia contains information that appears to be incorrect about Senator Johnson's position on a previous ENDA bill in 2004. While he did not co-sponsor it, and was marked down for it on HRC's 2004 Congressional Scorecard, there is no indication that he was actively opposed, and there was no vote on that bill. (Update [2009-10-31 17:46:13 by mcc111]: This paragraph is in error, the link goes to the Wikipedia page for Representative Tim Johnson, a Republican from Illinois who actually does consistently receive 0% HRC scores.)
But will he support ENDA now? We don't know. We have 56 likely yes votes - if Senator Johnson and others who are leaning yes do the right thing.
Please call Senator Johnson and ask that he support S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. If you're not sure what to say when you call, click here for a "Step-by-Step Script For Calling Legislators On ENDA."
You may get a staffer who is unaware of the Senator's position on ENDA. Take a moment to explain what it is, and to ask if he or she can get some information on the Senator's position. Tell us what they said in the comments below.
Senator Tim Johnson:
DC Phone: 202-224-5842
(Toll free DC Capitol line: 866-220-0044)
Sioux Falls 605-332-8896
Aberdeen 605-226-3440
Rapid City 605-341-3990
(Click here for email)
This was originally written by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss at Bilerico. It is reposted here with her permission.