WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- The U.S. military 's `` do n't ask-do n't tell '' policy could be overturned in the first year of President-elect Barack Obama 's administration , according to the lead sponsor of a bill that would repeal the law . A bill that would repeal the U.S. military 's `` do n't ask-do n't tell '' policy has 149 co-sponsors in the House . Obama has pledged to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military . A spokesman for Obama 's transition office would not comment for this story , but two months ago , Obama suggested he would move cautiously , telling the Philadelphia Gay News he would first get the military on board . `` Although I have consistently said I would repeal 'do n't ask-do n't tell , ' I believe that the way to do it is to make sure that we are working through processes , getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be , '' Obama told the newspaper . Instituted in 1993 , the policy ended the military 's practice of asking potential service members if they are gay , but requires the dismissal of openly gay service members . A bill to replace the law with a policy that would allow gays to openly serve has 149 co-sponsors in the U.S. House , including Ellen Tauscher , D-California . Tauscher said that with a new administration , the timing is right to try to pass the bill . `` The key here is to get bills that pass the House and the Senate , that we can get to President-elect Obama to sign , and I think that we can do that , certainly , the first year of the administration , '' Tauscher told CNN . Gay rights advocates say it 's important for Obama to avoid the approach used by the Clinton administration . President Clinton initially promised to repeal the military 's then-complete ban on gays with an executive order . But the plan roiled Pentagon brass -- including then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell -- and provoked a fierce backlash from conservatives in Congress . Congress stripped Clinton of his power to change the policy and forced him to accept the `` do n't ask-do n't tell '' compromise -- a law that can be repealed only by Congress . But after 15 years and four wars , attitudes in the Pentagon -- and among the public -- have changed . A Washington Post/ABC News poll this summer found 75 percent of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly , compared to only 45 percent in 1993 . Retired Adm. Charles Larson , the former head of the Naval Academy , heads a list of more than 100 retired U.S. military leaders who have signed a statement calling for an end the policy , according to the Palm Center at the University of California-Santa Barbara . The think tank has studied issues involving gays in the military for the past decade . CNN 's Laurie Ure contributed to this report .
Bill would allow gays to openly serve in the U.S. military . During run for presidency , Barack Obama said he would repeal `` do n't ask-do n't tell '' Bill sponsor : Hillary Clinton Comment: