Republican Senators have fired the first shot in an election-year fightover homosexual rights. At issue is Governor Vilsack’s executive orderwhich bars discrimination against state workers on the basis of sexualpreference or sexual identity. Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson ofDows today got committee approval for a bill which seeks to nullifyVilsack’s order. Iverson says Vilsack overstepped his authority.Last fall, Iverson called on Vilsack to rescind the order, and stronglycriticized the policy, wondering aloud whether new restroom policies wouldhave to be enforced in state government buildings. Today, Iverson refusedto say anything about the homosexual rights issue.Senate Democrat Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says even if therepublican-controlled legislature passes the bill nullifying the rule,Governor Vilsack will veto it.Governor Vilsack says he has the authority to do what he did — and the billis clearly un-constitutional. Vilsack also asked what point the legislators were trying to make knowing he would vetoe the bill.Vilsack says if legislators are upset about the content of the order itself,they should pass a law.
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