Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Iowa,
Well, as I told you Sunday, today was a BIG day for gay marriage! So, let’s get caught up!
Maine: After last week’s huge turnout of three thousand people at Maine’s public hearing, the Maine Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted 11-2 to move their gay marriage bill forward and onto their senate. No date is yet set for a vote from the senate, but it could be put onto next week’s schedule. If the legislation is roundly approved, the Democratic governor, John Elias Baldacci, may not sign it. After the state assembly’s override of Vermont’s governor’s veto, there’s no reason for Governor Baldacci to show his hand. After last week’s hearing, the governor said,
“Let me just say, it was very clear to me that the turnout of people who were there that this is an issue that people feel strongly about and they’re going to want to make sure that they have their say. In our state, I think they’re going to want to be part of the decision-making.”
Maine residents are almost perfectly split on gay marriage: 47.3% are in favor, 49.5% oppose the bill.
New Hampshire: Last week, the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee voted against moving forward with a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The Democratic Chairwoman said she thought her state “wasn’t ready†to accept gay marriage. However, today, the state senate
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