BISMARCK – A bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation in North Dakota received an unfavorable committee vote Tuesday.
The House Human Services Committee voted 11-2 to give Senate Bill 2279 a do-not-pass recommendation.
Committee chairman Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, said the full House could vote on the bill as early as Wednesday, but it will more likely be placed on Thursday’s calendar.
Rep. Joshua Boschee, D-Fargo, a bill sponsor and the state’s first openly gay lawmaker, said he was disappointed that the unfavorable vote was stronger than the 7-6 do-not-pass recommendation that a similar bill in 2009 received from the same committee before dying in the House 34-54.
“We expected that there’d be a little more support,” he said.
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Reps. Gail Mooney of Cummings and Kylie Oversen of Grand Forks, both Democrats, voted against the do-not-pass recommendation. All 10 Republicans and Rep. Naomi Muscha, D-Enderlin, voted for it.
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