[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 155 (Monday, November 4, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7793-S7794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT OF 2013--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on
the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 815.
Who yields time?
The Senator from Iowa.
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, the Senate is about to take another
historic step. Think about it. In 1964 we had the Civil Rights Act. In
1990--23 years ago--I stood here when we passed the Americans with
Disabilities Act, which extended civil rights to people with
disabilities.
Today we are taking one more step to make the American family more
inclusive and once and for all ban employment discrimination against
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
This is a historic opportunity for the Senate once again to say that
we are all members of the American family. No one should be
discriminated against because of race, sex, religion, or national
origin. They should not be discriminated against because of who they
love, who they are or whether they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender.
This is a historic step for the Senate to take today.
I urge a yea vote on the motion to proceed.
[[Page S7794]]
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time in opposition?
Mr. REID. Madam President, I yield back time on the motion to invoke
cloture.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, all time has been yielded
back.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, pursuant to rule XXII,
the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the
clerk will report.
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of
rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, hereby move to bring to
a close debate on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 184, S. 815, a
bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation or gender identity.
Richard J. Durbin, Tom Harkin, Jeff Merkley, Benjamin L.
Cardin, Michael F. Bennet, Barbara Mikulski, Charles E.
Schumer, Martin Heinrich, Patrick J. Leahy, Robert
Menendez, Barbara Boxer, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Mazie
K. Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar, Jack Reed,
Harry Reid.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the
motion to proceed to S. 815, a bill to prohibit employment
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,
and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close.
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Donnelly). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Missouri (Mrs.
McCaskill) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr.
Burr), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from
Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain), the
Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr.
Vitter), and the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski).
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 61, nays 30, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 229 Leg.]
YEAS--61
Ayotte
Baldwin
Baucus
Begich
Bennet
Blumenthal
Booker
Boxer
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Collins
Coons
Donnelly
Durbin
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Hagan
Harkin
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Johnson (SD)
Kaine
King
Kirk
Klobuchar
Landrieu
Leahy
Levin
Manchin
Markey
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Portman
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Tester
Toomey
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--30
Alexander
Barrasso
Boozman
Coats
Cochran
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
Cruz
Enzi
Fischer
Flake
Graham
Grassley
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (WI)
Lee
McConnell
Paul
Risch
Roberts
Rubio
Scott
Sessions
Shelby
Thune
Wicker
NOT VOTING--9
Blunt
Burr
Chambliss
Coburn
McCain
McCaskill
Moran
Murkowski
Vitter
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 61, the nays are
30. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
(Disturbance in the visitors gallery.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. No expressions of approval are permitted in
the gallery.
The Senator from Louisiana.
Ms. LANDRIEU. I thank my colleagues who led this effort on this
nondiscrimination bill, which is historic, and I am pleased we had a
bipartisan vote to make America more accepting and a just place. It is
a work-in-progress, and I am very pleased we could find the support on
this floor to do that. Now the bill goes to the House, and I urge my
colleagues in my congressional delegation and others to look at this
bill with an open mind and an open heart and end discrimination in the
workplace. I urge them to support this bill.
(The further remarks of Ms. Landrieu pertaining to the introduction
of S. 1642 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on
Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.)
Ms. LANDRIEU. I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a
quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________