Thursday
May272010
Senate Committee Votes To Repeal 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' By 16-12
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 Thursday to include an amendment in Fiscal Year 2011’s Defense Authorization Act to repeal 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' the controversial policy barring openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. military.
15 Democrats and Republican Susan Collins (Me.) voted in favor of the measure. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was the only Democrat to oppose it.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who co-sponsored the amendment with committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), described the decision as “a historic step forward to strengthen our military effectiveness.”
“My strong belief is that if Americans seek to put their lives on the line to serve this blessed country of ours, we should not deny those patriots that opportunity because of their sexual orientation,” Lieberman said in a statement released shortly after Thursday’s vote. “The action which the committee took today makes our country stronger and better.”
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Penn.) has introduced a similar amendment in the House. A vote will likely occur before the end of the week and could come as soon as Thursday evening.
If passed in both chambers, the policy will not be repealed until this December when the Pentagon concludes a study to determine the best way to implement the changes brought on by the repeal.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, officially titled Defense Directive 1304.26, was established in 1993 under the Clinton administration.
15 Democrats and Republican Susan Collins (Me.) voted in favor of the measure. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was the only Democrat to oppose it.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who co-sponsored the amendment with committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), described the decision as “a historic step forward to strengthen our military effectiveness.”
“My strong belief is that if Americans seek to put their lives on the line to serve this blessed country of ours, we should not deny those patriots that opportunity because of their sexual orientation,” Lieberman said in a statement released shortly after Thursday’s vote. “The action which the committee took today makes our country stronger and better.”
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Penn.) has introduced a similar amendment in the House. A vote will likely occur before the end of the week and could come as soon as Thursday evening.
If passed in both chambers, the policy will not be repealed until this December when the Pentagon concludes a study to determine the best way to implement the changes brought on by the repeal.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, officially titled Defense Directive 1304.26, was established in 1993 under the Clinton administration.
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Don't Ask Don't Tell, dadt in Congress, Frontpage 2
Don't Ask Don't Tell, dadt in Congress, Frontpage 2
Slight Changes Will Be Made On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
-- Only a general or flag officer may separate an enlisted member believed at the conclusion of an investigation to have engaged in homosexual conduct. Under previous policy, a colonel -- or for a captain in the Navy and Coast Guard – could order separation.
-- A revision in what’s needed to begin an inquiry or a separation proceeding. Information provided by a third party now must be given under oath, “discouraging the use of overheard statements and hearsay,” Gates said.
-- Certain categories of confidential information -- such as information provided to lawyers, clergy and psychotherapists -- no longer will be used in support of discharges. Information provided to medical personnel in furtherance of treatment, or to a public-health official in the course of seeing professional assistance for domestic or physical abuse also is excluded, as well as information obtained in the process of security-clearance investigations, in accordance with existing Pentagon policies.