House to vote on repeal of don't ask, don't tell

Tuesday - 12/14/2010, 1:37pm EST

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says the House will vote on a stand-alone bill that would repeal the policy of forbidding gays from serving openly in the military.

Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania is introducing the bill Tuesday. Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said he will bring the bill to the House floor soon.

The House has already passed a defense authorization bill that included a repeal of the policy, but that bill stalled in the Senate.

Hoyer said Murphy's bill would mirror an effort in the Senate to pass a stand-alone measure. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, has been among the leaders of the opposition, arguing that such a significant personnel policy change shouldn't happen when the country is fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Tags: DADT, House, Congress, gay rights, Associated Press