ENDA Update

The House approved the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3685) (ENDA) 235-184 on November 7. ENDA forbids discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation" in employment.

ENDA includes an exemption for religious organizations. The religious exemption is clearer and better than the exemption in the original version of the bill. See my prior post about the exemption in the original version. The exemption in the bill that passed the House mirrors the religious exemptions from Title VII's ban on religious discrimination:

This Act shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 pursuant to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a); 2000e-2(e)(2)).

The House-approved version of ENDA has been sent to the Senate for action.