Bill to bar gay bias at work gets initial OK

DENVER - Senate Democrats gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would bar workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The vote was denounced by Republicans, who accused them of pushing divisive social topics instead of issues important to the state.

Senate Bill 25 would add sexual orientation and religion to a list of things that can’t be considered in hiring and firing workers or in promotions or demotions. That list already includes age, race and disability.

The bill would exempt religious organizations that do not receive government money.

Sponsor Sen. Jen Veiga, D-Denver, the only open lesbian in the Legislature, has proposed the measure for nine years in a row. Pleading her case Monday to the Democraticcontrolled Senate, she said no business groups have opposed the bill and that it is the right thing to do.

“People should be judged on the basis of their employment absolutely, and not on the basis of their gay and lesbian status,” Veiga said.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, charged, though, that gays and lesbians do not meet the federal definition of a protected class because they have income and education levels that are above average and have demonstrated political power.

Led by Sen. Tom Wiens of Castle Rock, Republicans offered a slew of amendments to protect religious expression by workers, expand the religious-organization exemption to groups getting public funds and allow public schools to require employees to dress according to their gender. All were ruled out of line initially and then defeated on party line votes. Veiga noted that the bill already allows employers to set reasonable dress codes.

Several GOP senators charged that Democrats — who control the House, Senate and governor’s mansion this year for the first time in more than four decades — are ramming through divisive social bills.

The accusation is the same one Democrats made when Republicans ran the Capitol in 2004.

The preliminary passage of Veiga’s bill came four days after the Senate approved a measure allowing gay couples and other unmarried people to adopt their partners’ children, and two weeks after it approved a bill barring school districts from teaching abstinence-only sex education.

“The Democrats promised if they were ever in the majority, they would concentrate on issues that were important to all Coloradans and not introduce divisive social issues,” Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, said after floor debate ended. “I haven’t seen many substantial bills on health care or education, but I’ve seen plenty of these.”

Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, responded by arguing that Democrats, who increased their House and Senate majorities in the November election in addition to winning the governor’s post, are following the will of the people.

“The critical difference is these are passing,” Morse said.