SENATE TO VOTE ON DADT SATURDAY; COULD END WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION FOR LGBT SERVICE MEMBERS

Washington, D.C.-- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid moved late Thursday to vote this weekend on a bill to repeal the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

The procedural vote is set for Saturday, along with one on a bill to legalize some children of illegal immigrants who enlist in the military or in college, known as the DREAM Act. At last count, Democrats appear short of the 60 votes needed to break a GOP-led filibuster on the DREAM Act immigration measure.

In a full-page ad in the February 5, 2010 edition of Politico, AFSCME called for an end to the destructive “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the United States military. To read the story in the AFSCME blog Greenline, you can go here. For several years, labor unions from both the public and private sectors have been lobbying lawmakers to appeal this policy that was first instituted back in 1993 that bans military members from serving openly in their workplace.



CSEA's Ove Overmyer with Lt. Dan
Choi.  Choi is perhaps the most well
known activist fighting for the repeal
of DADT.
(photo by Bess Watts)

The process is now clear to consider the measure before the end of the session. More than 60 senators have come out in support of the plan, but Republicans have balked at what they say are Democrats' strong-armed tactics to push through the measure.

It remains to be seen whether Republicans will agree to back a repeal of the policy — which prohibits gays from serving openly in the military — now if Reid does not allow them time for amendments.

Earlier Thursday, Reid signaled he had planned to move forward with the proposal as a stand-alone measure - after attempts to attach it to a major defense policy bill had stalled.

"Before this Congress ends, we're going to - we're going to complete - or have a vote on the START treaty, the DREAM Act, "Don't ask, don't tell", 9/11 [first responders bill] and, hopefully, we can get an agreement on nominations. Otherwise we'll have some votes on nominations," Reid told reporters earlier today.

"It seems to be pretty high on the leadership's list of things to get done, so we'll probably end up getting a vote on that [DADT]," said Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) after the meeting.

Reid later backed down on the omnibus in favor of a short-term resolution whose length has not been determined.  But the GOP still may throw up additional procedural hurdles, forcing Democrats to overcome filibusters.