Job Discrimination Bill Passes House

The House Wednesday night passed landmark legislation barring workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientaion.

The Employee Non Discrimination Act  makes it illegal for employers to make decisions about the hiring, firing or promoting of an employee based on their sexual orientation.

The bill passed the House 235 to 184, short of the two-thirds necessary to overide a potential veto from the White House. 

The measure now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are considerably cloudier. And with a packed legislative calendar, it is unlikely the body would take it up anytime soon.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the passage of the bill "historic," and praised the work of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) the body's two openly gay members.

"As someone who has looked forward to this day for the 20 years that I have served in Congress, it is a joyous occasion," said Pelosi.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), called the bill a "boon to trial lawyers," saying the measure will "bog down" America's courts with lawsuits. Boehner also critisized the bill for weakening religious freedoms in the workplace.