Count this as a win for gay rights, ENDA will now move on to the full Senate.
The Associated Press reports that a bill which would “ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” titled the Employment Non Discrimination Act (EDNA), was approved by a Senate panel on Wednesday.
The bill was supported by all 12 Democrats and 3 Republicans on the 22-member committee, which would seem to indicate that “it has a strong chance of passage in the full Senate.”
Advocates are considering this vote the “latest victory” for gay rights, and see it as another sign that attitudes are “rapidly changing” in Congress. Although it is not yet clear if Republican House leaders will even consider the bill, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that he does expect “the full Senate to take up the measure later this year.”