Washington, D.C. — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network
of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today announced its support
for an amendment that strikes language from the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that sanctions
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The
underlying language in question, which was offered by Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK),
allows taxpayer-funded discrimination across the federal government by
codifying expanded religious exemptions for grants and contracts and by removing
existing anti-discrimination protections for LGBT workers.

In a
letter to Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA), the sponsor of the amendment to strike the
Russell amendment from the NDAA, TechNet’s president and CEO, Linda Moore,
wrote: “I write today in support of your
amendment to remove the Russell amendment from the National Defense Authorization Act. The technology industry is the nation’s most
innovative sector precisely because it values and embraces a talented and
diverse workforce. Unfortunately,
discriminatory efforts, such as the Russell amendment, undermine these values
by placing prejudice and fear above inclusion and diversity, which is bad for
our employees and bad for business.”

“To ensure that our nation’s
economy remains robust and innovative, we must support the best and brightest
people. While the Russell amendment may
be intended to promote religious freedom and liberty, it sanctions
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, which
has no place in our country. Removing
the Russell amendment from the National
Defense Authorization Act makes clear that the federal government does not
support such discrimination. TechNet is
proud to support your amendment and to work for its passage.”

A copy of the
letter is available upon request.

About TechNet
TechNet is the national,
bipartisan network of technology CEOs and senior executives that promotes the
growth of the innovation economy by advocating a targeted policy agenda at the
federal and 50-state level. TechNet’s
diverse membership includes dynamic startups to the most iconic companies on
the planet and represents more than two million employees in the fields of
information technology, e-commerce, advanced energy, biotechnology, venture
capital, and finance. TechNet has
offices in Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, Boston, and
Austin.