Lawmakers Kill Legislation Banning Employment Discrimination Against LGBT Workers
Governor Pete Ricketts says passing a bill that would protect LGBT workers is “unnecessary.” The Nebraska Republican said Wednesday, “I think that we’ve got law in Nebraska that already takes care of this, so it’s unnecessary, and I also get concerned about creating special protected classes like that, so this is a bill that I’m not in favor of.”
Despite what Gov. Ricketts claims, Nebraska is one of 32 states that do not offer fully-inclusive sexual orientation and gender identity protections. The bill he opposes, LB 586, would ban employment discrimination against LGBT citizens. It was voted down Wednesday 26-18, in the state’s unicameral legislature.
“This conversation will not go away. In fact, it’s just begun,†State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, sponsor of LB 586, said, according to the Omaha World-Herald.Â
The bill “had support from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and more than 200 individual Nebraska businesses. Some 270 religious leaders also signed a statement of support, although the bill faced opposition from other religious groups, particularly the Roman Catholic Church.”
Opposition came from lawmakers like Republican Sen. Bob Krist, who called for debate to end, saying it’s “not a subject matter that I think deserves an up or down vote.”
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Image: Screenshot via Omaha World-Herald
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