Vote on Marriage Equality Will Have to Wait
by Christine Stuart | May 11, 2007 4:02 PM
Posted to Courts
| State Capitol
Late Friday afternoon the Judiciary Committee Co-Chairmen Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven,(pictured, left) and Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, (pictured, right) sent out a
press releasesaying they decided not to push for a vote on marriage equality this year, just days before the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the subject.
Connecticut could have became the first state in the nation to pass a same-sex marriage bill without a court order, but the likelihood of that happening seems to have been put on hold. Click here to read about why advocates believe it would be better to pass public policy than to let the court decide. And here to see how graciously advocates accepted the recent news.
To add insult to injury for marriage equality advocates, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said again this week that she would veto the bill because she believes a marriage is between a man and a woman.
Meanwhile, Lawlor and McDonald remained optimistic. In a press release they said the number of lawmakers who support the bill has more than doubled over the past two years since the legislation was first introduced.
“Support towards marriage equality is growing. We achieved an incredible benchmark this year by passing the bill out of committee - a step that many believed we would not be able to accomplish,” McDonald said in the press release.
Connecticut became only the second state to have a legislative body vote in favor of same-sex marriage when the Judiciary Committee endorsed the proposal with a bipartisan vote of 27-15. The chairmen acknowledged that they were not anticipating the large amount of support for the bill that it had ended up receiving in the committee.
“I thought passing the bill out of committee was a possibility. However, following the public hearing, at least five more committee members changed their minds and decided to vote for the bill,” Rep. Lawlor stated.
“An increasing number of elected officials will support marriage equality as time progresses. The trend is undoubtedly moving in that direction,” McDonald said.
Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case begin at 10 a.m. Monday.
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