Two U.S. Representatives from Illinois said that activists and politicians would have to be vigilant about making sure that provisions within the Employment Non-Discrimination Act don't undercut the bill's effectiveness in stopping hiring- and on-the-job-discrimination.
Activists have in recent weeks been concerned that the so-called "religious exemption" in the ENDA bill is far too broad, and would give churches and religious organizations far too much leeway were they too discriminate against non-ministerial personnel, such as administrators or janitorial staff.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, shortly after speaking at the State of Edgewater breakfast sponsored by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce June 6, admitted that, given the moribund state of the current Congress, passing ENDA was unlikely in the near future so, "We haven't begun to really look at the language of the bill yet. But we want to make sure that it is as effective as it can be in protecting against discrimination."
In a statement to Windy City Times, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley said, "The Employment Non-Discrimination Act remains the best path to ensuring LGBT Americans are treated equally under the law with the same workplace rights as other protected groups in this country. Any exemption should be extremely narrow in scope, and every day that we continue allowing discrimination against the LGBT community is another day that justice is delayed."
Equality Illinois was among the organizations that said, though they endorse of the bill, they do have reservations about the provision.
"Illinois' own Human Rights Act, enacted in 2005 with bipartisan support, has worked effectively to protect LGBT employees on the same terms as other groups," said CEO Bernard Cherkasov in a June 3 statement. "The organization To add new and far broader religious exemptions to LGBT nondiscrimination laws would set a dangerous precedent for new carve-outs to other existing federal civil rights law."