Issue Position: Civil & Human Rights
Issue Position
Issue Position: Civil & Human Rights
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Senator Murray supports the Employment Non- Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Every American deserves fair treatment under the law regardless of his or her gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Senator Murray has long supported ENDA. During the 107th Congress, Senator Murray supported S.1284.
During the current session of Congress (108th Session), ENDA is included in the "Equal Rights and Equal Dignity for Americans Act" S.16. Title VII of the Act would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and provide meaningful and effective remedies. It also would prohibit retaliation against employees for enforcing their rights under the legislation.
"ENDA simply extends fair employment practices to gays, lesbians and bisexuals. It does not offer special rights or protections. It just ensures fair employment practices. This is only about employment. It simply guarantees workers that they will not be treated any differently because they are gay.
Many companies, states and local governments have responded to this glaring hole in our civil rights statutes by enacting policies and laws that prohibit discrimination in the work place based on sexual orientation.
Fifty-nine percent of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies.
I am proud that major companies in my state like Microsoft, Boeing, Costco, Nordstrom, Washington Mutual, Safeco, and the Weyerhaeuser Company have such policies. That's a Who's Who of companies in the Northwest."
-- Sen. Patty Murray
Paycheck Fairness Act
Senator Murray is an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act S.76. Inequalities in pay affects millions of hard-working American families. To respond to the persistent pay gap between men and women, this bill would eliminate loopholes discriminatory employers use to justify firings, prohibit employers from punishing employees for disclosing their wages to a co-worker, thereby making it easier for workers to evaluate whether their rights are being violated, and toughen Equal Pay Act remedies by allowing prevailing plaintiffs to recover compensatory and punitive damages.
Hate Crimes Legislation
Senator Murray supports legislation to make Hate Crimes a federal offense. She is an original cosponsor of The Equal Rights and Equal Dignity for Americans Act S.16. The Act would:
* expand current federal protections against hate crimes based on race, religion, and national origin;
* amend the criminal code to cover hate crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability;
* authorize grants for state and local programs designed to combat and prevent hate crimes;
* and enable the federal government to assist state and local law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
In June 2002, the Senate debated federal Hate Crimes legislation. Murray spoke in favor of S. 625, the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. Unfortunately, a small group of determined Senators essentially blocked the Senate's debate on the issue. Read Murray's Statement
Election Reform
In response to the Florida election debacle in 2000, Congress developed and passed election reform legislation to improve election practices throughout the country. Murray made sure that Washington State's convenient vote-by-mail system was protected. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Murray fought for the funding required to help states and local election boards carry out these reforms.
Women's Rights Treaty - CEDAW
Senator Murray supports the United Nations (U.N.) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Many women around the world do not have access to legal rights or protection of these rights under law. In 1979, the U.N. adopted CEDAW, which the United States signed on July 17, 1980. It calls for its parties to condemn discrimination against women in all forms and to establish legal frameworks to carry out this objective. While this important document has been ratified by more than 160 countries -- including many of our closest allies -- the U.S. Senate has not yet formally ratified the Convention. Senator Murray supports Senate ratification of this important international women's rights treat.
Trafficking
Senator Murray helped pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (P.L.106-386) in 2000. This landmark legislation provides the tools to combat trafficking in persons, both worldwide and domestically. The Act authorizes the establishment of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to assist in the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts.
This legislation directs the Secretary of State to report on the status of trafficking and to seek prosecution against individuals involved in the trafficking of women and children. It also directs the Secretary of State to provide a detailed annual report to Congress listing countries that do and do not comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Countries that get a failing grade are subject to economic sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. These sanctions include freezing assets located in the United States and barring significant traffickers-and those who knowingly assist them-from entering the United States
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