Political Quotes

“almost 50 years ago Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. This landmark legislation prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Many of us in the Senate remember the passage of that legislation. And many of us, unfortunately, saw firsthand the painful examples of legally sanctioned discrimination that existed before the Civil Rights Act. I grew up in a State where I went to segregated schools. I can remember the separate drinking fountains and going to the movie theater where if you were an African American you had to sit in the balcony. These practices were wrong, and they ended because of the Civil Rights Act. Well, this week the Senate has the opportunity to extend our national quest for equal opportunity for all by passing the Employment Non- Discrimination Act. This legislation simply prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and I give great credit to Jeff Merkley for sponsoring this legislation and for pushing for it. I was proud as Governor of New Hampshire 16 years ago to sign legislation making New Hampshire only the 10th State in the country to include sexual orientation in its antidiscrimination laws. That State legislation went further than the bill before the Senate this week.…”