OLYMPIA – Soldiers and veterans should soon gain a new weapon in their fight against discrimination.
State lawmakers have sent the governor a bill to add veterans and people with military status to an existing law banning discrimination in matters of employment, housing, credit and insurance.
This is the same law prohibiting discrimination because of one’s race, religion or gender and, added last year, sexual orientation.
Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, a veteran of the current war in Iraq, wrote the legislation based on his experience of being asked during job interviews about whether he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or would be bothered by working with people opposed to the war.
“This is a chance to finally protect those who protect us,” he said. “This is a great victory for veterans.”
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 5123 on a 90-7 vote. The Senate voted 48-0 to approve it last month. The governor is expected to sign it.
Passage in the House was not easy.
Attempts were made to make revisions in the legislation.
Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City, argued that the well-intentioned legislation goes too far in establishing a new protected class of people, that being those in the military.
He wanted the law rewritten to provide for a study of existing state programs providing assistance to veterans and to fill gaps found in such outreach.
The premise in our state for years, he said, has been that “they made the sacrifice in serving and then they come home and we make the sacrifice to help them. This bill breaks that tradition.”
Rep. Chris Strow, R-Freeland, recalled the problems faced by soldiers returning from Vietnam and said that cannot be tolerated today.
“If we’re going to do something right today, let’s pass this legislation,” he said. “The men and women of our military deserve nothing less.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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