Frank: House on track for ENDA passage, ‘less sure’ about Senate

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is maintaining that passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is still on track in the U.S. House, although he said he’s “less sure” about the bill’s prospects in the Senate.

In a DC Agenda interview, Frank on Tuesday said lawmakers working on the bill were about to come to agreement on the legislation before inclement weather last week shut down the federal government.

“We were very close just before we snowed out to basically come to an agreement on a bill that would get a majority vote in the Education & Labor Committee,” he said.

Frank said he’s still anticipating the committee to markup ENDA this month and a floor vote on the bill this March.

“The speaker has promised me that as soon as it passes the committee, she’ll bring it up to the floor of the House,” Frank said.

The lawmaker said he’s been working on ENDA closely with Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.), whom Frank said has been “very supportive” on the legislation, as well as a coalition of organizations including transgender groups.

Still, Frank said the transgender protections were among the sticking points in negotiations on how to proceed.

“There has always been a problem with the question of people who are transgender in situations where people are totally or partially unclothed,” he said.

While expecting movement in the House, Frank was less certain about ENDA’s prospects in the Senate.
“I’m less sure about that,” he said. “I think people have often underestimated some of the difficulties.”

Multiple sources familiar with Capitol Hill have told DC Agenda that 60 votes are lacking in the Senate to overcome a filibuster on ENDA. [READ MORE]