ENDA and CHIP: The Perfect Storm?

There’s a bit of legislative weather blowing in for LGBT parents right now, with two critical federal votes set to happen in the next week or so. On the LGBT front, the much-debated Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) should move through the House Education and Labor Committee Thursday. The United ENDA coalition, which represents over 300 LGBT and other organizations across the country, reports that Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has secured an agreement from the Democratic leadership to introduce an amendment to H.R. 3685 (the gender-free ENDA) that would restore gender identity protections to the bill. The amendment would be considered on the House floor next week, after the bill moves through Committee. United ENDA reiterates that their preference would be to pass the original (gender-inclusive) ENDA (H.R. 2015) out of committee, but they will work with Rep. Baldwin to attach her amendment if necessary. You can use the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Center to contact your reps before these critical votes. (Thanks, PageOneQ.)

On the parenting front, the House is set to vote tomorrow on overriding President Bush’s veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). FamiliesUSA has its own Action Center for this issue, but if you’re on the phone with your rep’s office talking about ENDA anyway, might as well give them your thoughts on CHIP at the same time. (The FamiliesUSA site has some talking points you may want to read beforehand, though.)

LGBT families stand between these bills in a unique way, although all families can benefit from them. ENDA would protect not only those who are LGBT, but also those who are perceived to be. CHIP helps families struggling to provide medical insurance for their children, and LGBT families are among them. As Jennifer Vanasco of Visible Vote ‘08, points out, in fact, the lack of rights for LGBT families can make legislation like CHIP even more important: “If a birth mother is staying home to take care of the couple’s child and the other mother is working, their child might not be able to get health insurance if they live in one of the 25 states where second parent adoption is unclear.”

As if the legislation wasn’t enough, let’s not forget the everyday weather fronts, either: many of us are also scrambling to find or make last-minute Halloween costumes for our young ones, and already making plans for fast-approaching Thanksgiving.

Will we look back in a week, proud to have made our way through the turbulent winds of these many issues? Or will the combination of them, coming at the same time, overwhelm us?