HRC Back Story

Today HRC released its Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress (Jan. 2007 -  Jan. 2009), which rates members of Congress on their support for issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. For each two year session of Congress since 1989, HRC has published a Congressional Scorecard that includes key congressional votes and co-sponsorship of pro-LGBT legislation. It is one way to assist the LGBT community in assessing the relative support or non-support of Members of Congress.

HRC's legislative director, Allison Herwitt, said this today regarding the scorecard:

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community began the process of unraveling the damage of the last decade during this two-year Congressional session. The advancements made in this Congress on the Matthew Shepard Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, domestic partner benefits for federal civilian employees and repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ are critical building blocks upon which we will continue to educate Members of Congress on the importance of federal protections for LGBT Americans.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community successes in 110th Congress included:
• For the first time in a Congressional session, the Senate and House both passed hate crimes legislation that provides protection on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;
• For the first time, the House introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity, with 185 Members of Congress cosponsoring the bill;   
• For the first time, the House held a vote on and passed a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), that prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation;
• The House held the first-ever hearing focused solely on workplace discrimination faced by transgender Americans;
• The House held the first hearings since 1993 examining the negative impact of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy;
• The Senate held the first-ever hearing on the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations (DPBO) Act which provides equal family benefits to LGBT federal civilian employees;
• And with pro-equality leadership in the House and Senate, the discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) was not even scheduled for a vote.

In the 110th Congress, the average score for members of the U.S. Senate increased from 41.7% to 55.4% and for the House of Representatives from 40.5% to 47.9%.  The number of Senators scoring 90% or better increased from 11 to 17.  The number of Representatives with 90% or better increased from 96 to 128. 

Legislation scored in this Congress included:
• The Matthew Shepard Act, H.R. 1592/S. 1105, to allow local law enforcement to access federal resources to investigate or prosecute violent crimes committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity;
• The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), H.R. 3685, to prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;
• The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), H.R. 2015, co-sponsorship of the inclusive version to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;
• The HIV travel and immigration ban, included in the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), that took the first step toward ending the ban on travel and immigration to the United States by HIV-positive individuals;
• The Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA), H.R. 3326/S. 860, to allow states to provide Medicaid coverage to HIV positive persons;
• The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), H.R. 2221/S. 1328, to provide same-sex partners of U.S. citizens equal immigration access;
• The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), H.R. 1246, which would repeal the military’s ban on open service by gays and lesbians;
• The Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act (DP Tax), H.R. 1820/S. 1556, to equalize tax treatment for employer-provided health coverage for domestic partners.

The scorecard can be viewed online at http://www.hrc.org/11424.htm.

The records of our congressional leaders are clear. Even today, there are too many representatives and senators with few dots - or none at all.