U.S. senators are considering the introduction of LGBT-related amendments to the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill if it comes to the Senate floor as planned this week.Note that Gillibrand is still interested in an unqualified repeal of the policy and that this is just a stop-gap measure until that's possible. It's also, by serendipity if not design, a clever way of proving that repealing the policy won't cause the military to explode.
The potential amendments could make the legislation a vehicle for the biggest advances to date in LGBT rights at the federal level.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is considering the introduction of an amendment that would instate an 18-month moratorium on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which would prevent further investigation of gay service members until it expires or Congress can accomplish full repeal, according to Bethany Lesser, a Gillibrand spokesperson.
A hate crimes amendment identical to the standalone hate crimes legislation that Senator Ted Kennedy introduced earlier this year is also expected to be added as a provision to the defense bill.
These proposals will, of course, be contingent upon the Democratic caucus making sure they've got the votes to pass the bill with their inclusion.
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