House votes again to repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

For the second time this year, the House Wednesday voted to approve legislation repealing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law banning openly gay individuals from serving in the military, this time in an attempt to pressure the Senate to act before adjournment and get a repeal measure to the White House.

The House voted 250-175 to pass a stand-alone bill identical to one introduced in the Senate by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, which has attracted 47 co-sponsors in the last few days.

Lieberman has said House passage of a stand-alone bill repealing the gay ban "creates some real momentum" for Senate action before the end of the year.

The House and Senate bills represent a last-ditch effort to salvage repeal of the controversial law, which President Obama has made a legislative priority for the year. By passing a stand-alone measure, the House is aiming to make it easier for the Senate to act after the chamber failed last week to get the 60 votes necessary to consider the defense authorization bill amid concerns about limited debate time on the bill and GOP opposition to the provision repealing the gay ban.

Wednesday's vote was the House's second chance to weigh in on the issue. In May, the House approved the same repeal language as an amendment to the fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill, 234-194.

The stand-alone language, like the amendment in the authorization bill, would repeal the law 60 days after the president and the Defense secretary certify that doing so would not hurt unit cohesion, troop morale, or military readiness.