INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): Senate Democrats plan to make the first move toward adding sexual orientation to Indiana's civil rights law. 

Governor Pence has reportedly been meeting with business leaders in search of a compromise that addresses concerns both of gays and lesbians and religious conservatives. 

Minority Leader Tim Lanane (D-Anderson) says he'll introduce a bill on the first day of filing that simply adds sexual orientation and gender identity — the “four words and a comma” advocated by gay rights groups — to anti-discrimination laws. Lanane says he's open to compromise language, but says he'll view any alternative proposals skeptically — he says too many carve-outs would undermine the purpose of the law. 

Lanane says he hopes for bipartisan backing but hasn't reached out to Republicans yet, aside from a letter to Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) shortly before a news conference unveiling the proposal. 

The legislation also adds protected status to veterans. Lanane says veterans are already protected in some parts of the civil rights law but not others, and legal analysts advised closing a potential loophole at the same time as the other changes.