House Kills Bid to Void Clinton Gay Bias Order

In a surprising setback for conservatives Wednesday, the House rejected a proposal by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) to void President Clinton’s executive order barring bias against homosexuals in the federal work force.

In an election year in which Republicans have repeatedly taken on the homosexual community in word and in votes, the 252-176 roll call saw 188 Democrats joined by one independent and 63 Republicans who said the proposal went too far. Voting to kill Clinton’s order were 161 Republicans and 15 Democrats.

“I speak strongly in my outrage that some on my side of the aisle, my leaders in particular, have sought to make this a political issue,” said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.).

“This vote reflected the values of our nation,” Clinton said in a written statement. “The American people believe in fairness, not discrimination.”

Ignoring a veto threat, the House also voted Wednesday against allowing statistical sampling in the 2000 census.

Both issues arose as the House moved toward passage of a $34-billion measure for fiscal 1999, beginning Oct. 1, for the departments of Commerce, Justice and State, plus the federal courts.

Hefley said his amendment was aimed at the president’s abuse of executive orders to circumvent Congress. Opponents disagreed.

” . . . the Republican leadership has decided that it’s in their political interest to side with the ignorance and bigotry of the radical right,” said Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.).

The Republican-controlled chamber rejected, 227 to 201, a Democratic proposal to keep the door open for census sampling. Democrats want the Census Bureau to use sampling to help tally hard-to-reach Americans, disproportionate numbers of whom are minorities.