Senator Paul Kirk of Massachusetts and Ted Kaufman of Delaware have signed on as the newest co-sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S. 1584.
Just as it is important to ask for support, it is also important to say thank you.
Senator Kirk made the list last week, on November 4, the day before the Senate hearing. Senator Kaufman's name appeared this morning.
Please take the time to call and say thank you to Senators Kirk and Kaufman for stepping up to the plate on civil rights.
I will be on the radio tonight on a call-in show on WRFG (which you can hear on the internet) at approximately 7:30 ET to discuss this and more on ENDA. Please feel free to call in and ask a question or make a comment.
Contact info and more after the jump.
Both Senator Kirk and Senator Kaufman have long been allies of the LGBT community. I have listed them both as likely yes votes since I started tracking their votes. However, it is one thing to know that we have a silent supporter in the Senate, and something of a different magnitude altogether to have a Senator sign on as a co-sponsor.
Because the leadership will not bring ENDA to a vote unless they know they have 60 yes votes to defeat a Republican filibuster, we need our supporters in the Senate to stand up and be counted.
Their standing up will encourage other Senators to stand up and be counted.
We now have 52 confirmed yes votes in the Senate, and 4* likely yes votes, for a total of 56.
Thank you, Senator Kaufman, and thank you, Senator Kirk, for standing up and being counted on the issue of job equality.
Please call them and say thank you.
Sen. Ted Kaufman:
DC Phone: 202-224-5042
(Toll free DC Capitol line: 866-220-0044)
District Offices:
Wilmington 302-573-6345
Milford 302-424-8090
Click here for email
Sen. Paul Kirk:
DC Phone: 202-224-4543
(Toll free DC Capitol line: 866-220-0044)
District Office: Boston 617-565-3170
Click here for email
---footnote-----
* The 4 likely [but unconfirmed] yes votes, which brings us up to 56 likely yes votes, are:
- Tom Carper (D-DE)
- Evan Bayh (D-IN)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
See the Inclusive ENDA Facebook Senate spreadsheet for more info.
This was originally written by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss at Bilerico. It is reposted here with her permission.