Illinois House Majority Leader Calls On Lawmakers To Approve Gay Marriage

English: Illinois State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie in 2010. Photo courtesy of Center for Neighborhood Technology, via Flickr. {| class=”messagebox” style=”margin: 0.5em auto; width: 100%; background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 2px solid #e0e0e0; padding: 5px; direction: ltr;” |align=”center”| link=|25px → link=|25px | : File:File:Barbara Flynn Currie 2010.jpg. |align=”center”| 100x100px|original file |colspan=”3″| |} Category:Extracted images (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | September 22, 2013

Illinois Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie is calling on House members to approve a gay marriage bill.

Currie, the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, said in a letter to House members earlier this month that allowing gay couples to marry is a matter of equality and that it would boost the state’s economy.

The marriage measure was approved in the Senate on Valentine’s Day.  But a vote in the House was called off by its sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris, at the last moment.  Harris recently suggested that a vote might not come until next year.

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New Jersey Campaign To Win Gay Marriage Launched

English: , U.S. Attorney, Governor-elect of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | July 24, 2013

A coalition of groups on Wednesday launched a campaign to secure marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey.

The formation of New Jersey United for Marriage was announced during an event held in Asbury Park.

The campaign will work to secure the votes needed to override Governor Chris Christie’s veto of a marriage bill approved last year by lawmakers.  Chances look good in the Senate, where 24 senators –3 shy of the two-thirds needed for an override – voted in favor of the bill last year.  However, supporters need to find 12 votes in the Assembly, half of which must come from Republicans.

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Illinois Gay Marriage Backers Announce $2 Million Campaign

Seal of Illinois. Center image extracted from Illinois flag. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On Top Magazine | July 17, 2013

Gay marriage supporters in Illinois have announced the launch of a $2 million statewide campaign to legalize gay nuptials in Illinois.

The announcement comes after a marriage bill stalled in the House after passage in the Senate.  Its champion in the House, Democratic Representative Greg Harris, who is openly gay, tearfully announced on the House floor his decision not to call the bill for a vote during the spring session but instead to wait until the fall.

Illinois Unites for Marriage said its new campaign includes the hiring of a campaign manager, a field director and a faith organizer.

“I’m excited to lead this already strong leadership team,” said John Kohlhepp, the group’s newly-tapped campaign manager.  “Our expanded leadership structure brings together labor, political, community and religious organizing, creating a ground-game that directly engages voters to win the freedom to marry in Illinois.”

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Pat Quinn: Gay Marriage Approval ‘Very Close’ In Illinois

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | April 8, 2013

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, a Democrat, on Monday told reporters that a gay marriage bill is “very close” to passage in the state House.

The bill, which seeks to make Illinois the 10^th state to legalize such unions, awaits a vote in the House after passage in the Senate.

Passage in the House requires 60 votes. Quinn did not announce a vote count, but he said “we’re going to get it done.”  He added that he’s reached out to legislators to support the measure.

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Illinois Gay Marriage Bill Narrowly Passes House Committee by 6-5 Vote

Greg Hernandez | Gay Star News | February 28, 2013

Illinois took another step closer Tuesday (26 February) to becoming the 10th state in the US to make gay marriage legal.

The Illinois House Executive Committee,comprised of seven Democrats and four Republicans, voted 6-5 to advance The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. It will next go to the full House floor for a vote.

At least 60 House members must vote ‘yes’ to pass the legislation for it to move on to Governor Pat Quinn for signature. Quinn has promised to sign the bill into law if it receives legislative approval.

The Illinois State Senate passed the marriage equality bill by a vote of 34-21 two weeks ago.

‘The day when loving, committed same-sex couples in Illinois can marry is within our grasp,’ Jim Bennett, midwest regional director for Lambda Legal said in a statement after the vote. ‘Illinois is poised to become the tenth state where same-sex couples have the freedom to marry, and we need people across the state to call their Representatives and urge them to vote ‘Yes.’ The time to act is now.’

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Committee in Illinois House of Reps to consider gay marriage bill next week

Greg Hernandez | Gay Star News | February 21, 2013

The next step in the path to Illinois becoming the 10th state in the US to make gay marriage legal will come next Tuesday (26 February) when it is to be considered by the House Executive Committee.

The committee is comprised of seven Democrats and four Republicans. At least six of the members must vote in favor of sending the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act to the full House for a vote.

Since the Illinois State Senate passed the marriage equality bill by a vote of 34-21 last week, a full House vote would be the final step before Illinois Governor Pat Quinn can sign gay marriage into law.

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Gay Marriage Bill Clears Illinois Senate

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | February 14, 2013

A bill seeking to make Illinois the 10^th state to legalize gay marriage cleared the Senate on Thursday.

Lawmakers approved the measure with a 34-21 vote and sent it to the House for further consideration.

Neither the Senate nor the House have previously voted on marriage equality.  However, Illinois legalized civil unions two years ago.

The bill’s champion in the Senate, Senator Heather Steans, a Democrat from Chicago, told colleagues in her opening remarks that “The time has come for Illinois to provide the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.”

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Gay Marriage Bill Clears Illinois Senate Committee

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | Feburary 5, 2013

An Illinois Senate committee has approved a bill which seeks to make Illinois the 10^thstate to legalize gay marriage.

The 15-member Senate Executive Committee approved the bill and sent it to the full Senate for consideration.

A representative from Lambda Legal testifying in support of the bill countered the arguments of opponents, saying nothing in the measure forces a church to marry gay couples.

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Heather Steans Says Prospect Of Passing Gay Marriage In Illinois Is ‘Great’

Carlos Santoscoy | On Top Magazine | January 19, 2013

Illinois Senator Heather Steans, the sponsor of a gay marriage bill in the Senate, believes the prospect of legalizing such unions in the upcoming session is “great.”

Appearing on The Young Turks, Steans told Cenk Uygur that public opinion has changed dramatically in just the two years since Illinois approved civil unions.

“As I’m talking to members, peoplehave really come along,” Steans said.  “You know, we passed civil unions here two years ago.  And the nature of the conversations I’m having with my colleagues just two years later is very different.  I think there’s really been a sea change of public opinion on this.  Every day we see more people supporting what’s fair under our laws and treating everybody the same.  So, it’s been very encouraging and heartening.”

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Illinois Senate Fails To Vote On Marriage Equality. Is This All Falling Apart?

Dan Avery | Queerty | January 3, 2013

Though expectations were high that the Illinois Senate would vote on a  marriage-equality measure by Thursday, lawmakers clocked out  without  bringing it to a vote.

The Senate Executive Committee did hear testimony on the Religious Freedom  and Marriage Fairness Act, but Sen. Heather Steans (right)admitted she lacked  the votes to get it passed on the floor.

Asked if maybe there just wasn’t enough support to  garner the necessary 30 votes to pass the measure, Steans replied, “Oh, no, no,  no. We really did have the votes. We were just missing members today.”

There’s still time for a bill to get passed before  the lame-duck session ends on January 9, but the window is closing.

This has been a week of setbacks, starting with Wednesday’s scheduled  discussion being pushed to Thursday because there wasn’t enough votes to get an  immediate hearing. And though President Obama, Gov. Pat Quinn, Jesse Tyler  Ferguson and even the head of the Illinois Republican Party have got to bat for  marriage equality in the Prairie State, Cardinal Francis George, the Catholic  Conference of Illinois and the National Organization for Marriage have all come  out swinging, too.

The division on the issue was evident in the testimony given to the Senate  Executive Committee, which advanced the measure to the Senate with an 8-5  vote:

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