Tag: civil unions

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Colorado to make another run at civil unions

On Wednesday the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on a proposed civil unions bill.

Senate Bill 11 would “authorize any 2 unmarried adults, regardless of gender, to enter into a civil union.”

Last year, the Colorado House failed to vote on a civil union bill before the end of a special session of the legislature.

This legislative session, democrats control the majority in the House and Senate.

House Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D – Denver) says he would like to have a civil unions bill on Governor Hickenlooper’s desk by Valentine’s Day but has acknowledge it may take more time to get the bill through both chambers.

Here’s hoping the majorities in both chambers makes for a smoother run at passing the legislation than last year’s debacle.

(via JMG)

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Colorado: Civil Unions may be coming soon

In the last election, many anti-gay Republicans were voted out of Colorado’s state government. In light of that, LGBT activists and Democratic officials are confident they may finally pass civil unions there.

And according to the Denver Post, they’re going to start almost immediately after the new session commences.

After two years of fighting over the issue, the Republicans who controlled the House and killed the measure are out of power, paving the way for a civil unions bill to head to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who supports legal recognition for same-sex couples.

But the victory will be bittersweet for Sen. Pat Steadman, the gay lawmaker who has led the fight for civil unions.

The Denver Democrat said he believes allowing gays to marry, rather than just form civil unions, would truly represent equality, but marriage is banned under Colorado’s constitution.

And he won’t be able to share the moment with his partner of 12 years, Dave Misner, who died in September after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

“It’s going to be very sad for me, and sort of anticlimactic,” Steadman said.

Sen. Steadman points out that since voters amended the constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, he has to abide by the rules:

“As a state senator, I cannot propose marriage equality because our constitution forbids it, and I took an oath to uphold our constitution,” Steadman told the paper. “But my oath also requires me to uphold the federal constitution and its promise of equal protection of the law. These obligations are in conflict and I cannot remain satisfied with the status quo.”

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Colorado civil unions bill fails – again

Yet another attempt to pass civil unions in Colorado has failed, and apparently not because the legislation lacked the requisite votes.

During a special legislative session called by Gov. John Hickenlooper, the GOP-controlled House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee voted 5-4 along party lines against the bill, which prevented a full House vote.

Just weeks ago, the bill, already passed by the senate, had cleared the House Judiciary Committee, gaining support from a key GOP member. Several Republicans had indicated that they would vote in favor, potentially reversing a failed attempt last year to pass civil unions.

But the committee vote killed that possibility. One GOP committee member who opposed the bill and has a gay son explained that a “yes” vote would have been at direct odds with a constitutional amendment against marriage equality passed by Colorado voters in 2006, the Denver Post reports.

More at The Advocate.

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CO: Civil unions bill may die again in special legislative session

Even though it had the votes to pass, Colorado House Speaker Frank McNulty sent the civil unions bill to the House State Affairs Committee, where it will be killed, the Denver Post reports:

Asked why he sent the bill to House State Affairs, known as a “kill committee” because its members are all in safe seats, McNulty again spun the discussion back toward Hickenlooper.

“This is Gov. Hickenlooper’s special session that he called for the purpose of passing same-sex marriage,” the speaker said, continuing his practice of equating civil unions legislation as the same legal footing as marriage. “From our perspective, our side is focused on job creation and economic recovery. We ought not and we should not be spending time on divisive social issues when unemployment remains far too high and far too many Coloradans are out of work. . . .It’s unfortunate that this scenario has played out where it appears that Gov. Hickenlooper is out of touch with Coloradans.”

(source)

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Colorado Governor calls for special session to address civil unions bill

After the amazing debacle in the Colorado state Senate Tuesday night, where GOP legislators filibustered the last hours of this year’s session so as to avoid voting on civil unions, the Governor of the state has now called for a special session to finish the work of the people and address the civil unions bill:

Colorado’s Democratic governor called on Thursday for a special legislative session to consider a civil unions bill that would grant legal rights to same-sex couples, setting up a potential showdown with Republican lawmakers.

Governor John Hickenlooper said in an executive order calling for the session, due on Monday, that the bill was needed so couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, could “take care of each other and their families.”

Hickenlooper has previously told reporters that without the bill, which failed to advance to a vote in the state House of Representatives during the regular session, the state was depriving people of their civil rights.

The votes to pass the bill are there.  We’ll see how this goes… 

UPDATE: Special Session will begin 10:00AM Monday. 7 bills, at least 3 days.

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Colorado GOP state senators filibuster to kill civil unions bill

Last night after the North Carolina vote to write discrimination into law, I followed the mind numbing debacle in Colorado where civil unions was within ONE vote to being made law.

GOP state senators filibustered and effectively killed the civil unions bill – and in doing so also killed about 30 other bills in line for debate and vote – by stopping the work of the people for hours.

To add insult to injury, the GOP law makers tried to spin the story that Dems were the problem.

UPDATE: Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said he’ll call lawmakers into a special legislative session Wednesday to resolve a bill supporting civil unions for same-sex couples, along with several other bills.

Hickenlooper’s announcement on the final day of the 2012 regular session was sparked by what he called an “overwhelming need” to discuss the civil unions measure. It died late Tuesday on legislative maneuvering from the GOP.

Hickenlooper said he’d announce the details of the special session Thursday.

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Civil unions bill keeps moving forward in Colorado

The civil unions bill in Colorado, having already passed in the Senate, is moving it’s way through the state House. 

From the Huffington Post: Later Thursday night, the civil unions bill to provide legal protections to gay couples similar to marriage passed in the Republican-led committee that rejected the same legislation last year. A Republican who previously voted against the bill said she switched her vote.

The measure faces two more committee votes, but sponsors are optimistic they have enough support to get the legislation within a week to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is firmly behind the plan.

With passage, Colorado could join the more than a dozen states to offer gays and lesbians legal protections.

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Rhode Island passes Civil Unions bill

The Rhode Island Senate has approved a bill that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, a measure that Gov. Lincoln Chafee says he’s inclined to sign.

State senators voted 21-16 Wednesday evening to endorse the bill. The legislation, which already has passed the state House, allows gay couples to enter into civil unions that offer the same rights and benefits given to married couples under Rhode Island law.

It is now headed to Chafee’s desk for his signature.

Several gay marriage advocacy groups have urged Chafee to veto it because of what they call overly broad exemptions that would allow religious institutions to ignore rights given through civil unions. The measure would, for instance, let religious hospitals refuse a civil union spouse the right to make emergency medical decisions.
(via NPR)

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Civil Unions begin in Illinois today

From the Chicago Tribune: Long lines are expected to form early Wednesday at the Cook County Clerk’s downtown office of vital records as couples from across Chicago gather to be part of a historic moment — the issuing of the state’s first civil union licenses.

The doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and the clerk’s office will celebrate what it calls “the momentous occasion” by awarding a special gift package to the first couple to get a license. Adding to the festive atmosphere, about 20 local businesses will be supplying gifts that will be raffled off to other couples in line.

As with marriage licenses, couples will have to pay a $35 fee and wait one day before they can hold a civil union ceremony. Couples who are already registered as domestic partners in Cook County but want to enter into a civil union will get a $20 discount and their domestic partnership will be automatically dissolved.

Let’s all celebrate today this step forward for Illinois.

Forward, kids.

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Rhode Island: House passes civil unions bill 61-11

The Rhode Island House has overwhelmingly approved civil unions by a vote of 62-11 after a last-ditch attempt to convert the bill to full marriage equality failed.

The bill now goes to the state Senate, where it is predicted to pass easily.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee has promised to sign it.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, GLAD, are very unhappy with the religious exemption in Rhode Island’s civil unions bill:

Everyone agrees that religious denominations should not be required to join any two people in any legal relationship – whether marriage or a civil union – that is contrary to their religious teachings. However, the religious exemption amendment goes much further in allowing religious charitable and educational organizations – such as social service providers, hospitals, and educational institutions – to treat legal civil unions, authorized under Rhode Island law, as invalid for any purpose.

Karen Loewy, Senior Staff Attorney for GLAD, said “This unprecedented exemption means a civil union spouse could be denied the ability to make medical decisions for her spouse in a hospital; it means that a math teacher at a religiously-based school could not get the same health insurance for his legally recognized partner that all other teachers receive. This exemption actually diminishes nondiscrimination protections in public accommodations and employment that Rhode Island employers and institutions have successfully lived with since 1995. It just inflicts gratuitous harm on Rhode Island’s gay and lesbian families.”

I realize there are many who are disappointed at the lack of a full marriage equality bill moving forward, but I believe the Speaker of the House, who said the votes weren’t there for full marriage equality.

I may be naive, but it seems it’s better to leave the fight with some of what you want than nothing.