Tag: Illinois

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Illinois: No marriage equality vote today

IllinoissenateTime is running out for the end of the legislative session on January 9. Senate Democrats say it will not happen this week.

The Windy City Times reports:

Anthony Martinez, executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda, confirmed that Senate Democrats have stated that the vote will not come to pass Jan. 3 or 4. Repeated foibles have raised serious questions about whether the vote can pass by Jan. 9, when new lawmakers are sworn in.

Senate Democrats had hoped for a vote on Thursday, but they failed to secure the votes to waive a 24-hour rule on the posting of the original marriage bill. Democrats then tacked marriage equality onto an unrelated bill in an attempt to push it through faster.

But two supportive senators have been called away from Springfield on family emergencies, leaving sponsors scrambling to secure needed votes.

“It doesn’t mean that the whole marriage equality bill in the lame duck session dies,” said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois.

However, a big push remains for supportive senators. The Senate will have to be called back for a special session on Jan. 8 if they are take up marriage equality before Jan. 9. That would mean that the House will be voting on marriage before the Senate takes it up.

The Illinois House is scheduled to reconvene on January 6-7.

UPDATE: Plenty of mixed signals on what’s happening in Illinois, given the earlier report from the Windy City Times on the delayed status of the marriage equality bill, because there is a hearing underway now in the Senate Executive Committee.

You can watch it LIVE HERE.

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Illinois: Same-sex marriage bill vote may happen today

According to Windy City Times, the vote for marriage equality in Illinois state senate may happen as soon as this morning:

Illinois Senators will no longer be voting on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a bill that LGBT leaders had been working for months to gain support on. Instead, the legalization of gay marriage had been added as a Senate amendment to HB4963, a bill that deals with automobile rentals and the Collateral Recovery Act, according to Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov.

The move comes after Senate Democrats failed to secure enough votes to waive a 24-hour rule on the posting of the bill Wednesday night. That could have delayed a vote on marriage a day or more.

The amendment will allow the Senate to vote on the bill as early as 11 a.m. this morning.

“Everything can change at a moment’s notice,” said Cherkasov. “It’s still absolutely crucial that people contact their lawmakers.”

UPDATE: Vote may not happen today as two supportive state senators have been called away due to family emergencies. The hope is the vote happens before Jan. 9th when new legislature comes in.

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Illinois: GOP Party Chairman Pat Brady supports same-sex marriage

Well, this is huge for Illinois and marriage equality!

According to DailyHerald.com, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles is calling GOP lawmakers asking them to support a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage, he said today.

Brady said he was making the calls as a citizen, outside of his official role with the Illinois Republican Party.

“I think it’s time for people to support this,” Brady said.

“More and more Americans understand that if two people want to make a lifelong commitment to each other, government should not stand in their way,” he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Giving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married honors the best conservative principles. It strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value – that the law should treat all citizens equally.”

Lawmakers in Springfield could begin debating the issue at a hearing as early as tomorrow.

(via JMG)

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Marriage equality legislation coming to Rhode Island and Illinois

A marriage equality bill will be introduced in the Rhode Island legislature Thursday, the Providence Journal reports.

State representative Arthur Handy, the bill’s sponsor, said he will need Wednesday to recruit cosponsors, who will include openly gay House speaker Gordon Fox.

Rhode Island legislators have previously abandoned efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples because of insufficient support. The state has had civil unions since 2011, and it recognizes out-of-state same-sex marriages. But it remains the only New England state without marriage equality.

Over in Illinois, a marriage equality bill may be considered as early as today, Windy City Times reports:

The state Senate will be in session Wednesday, and Sen. Heather Stearns is expected to introduce the bill in that chamber this week. “LGBT leaders say that a vote on a bill seeking gay marriage is likely to come sooner rather than later,” the Times reports. Stearns hopes to get the bill voted on quickly so it can then go to the state House, although a report in the Chicago Tribune says she and Rep. Greg Harris, the lead House sponsor, will go for a vote only if they feel assured of passage. Activists from around the state plan to gather tomorrow in Springfield, the capital.

Both chambers have until January 9 to pass the bill in the current legislative session. After that, a new legislature will be seated, meaning advocates will have to restart their lobbying efforts.

(source)

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President Obama supports same-sex marriage in Illinois

President Obama has weighed in on the possible marriage equality bill that may come to a vote in Illinois this January:

“While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.

“As he has said, his personal view is that it’s wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so. Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally.” Inouye said.

State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) are the lead sponsors of the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.” They intend to put the measure up for a vote during the upcoming January lame-duck session.

Democrats control both houses of the state legislature and Gov. Quinn says he’ll sign the bill if it hits his desk.  Fingers crossed…

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Chicago Sun-Times Op-Ed in support of marriage equality

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

It’s time for gay marriage in Illinois. Not in the distant future. Not in the near future. But now. Backers of a same-sex marriage bill announced last week that they were “within striking” distance of the votes needed to pass the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act” in the Illinois Legislature. They hope to pull the trigger during the lame-duck session, which begins the first week of January. There is no good reason to wait. Legalize gay marriage bill now. Stand on the right side of history.

The Illinois legislature returns in two weeks. Should the bill pass during the lame duck session, Gov. Quinn has said he will sign it into law.

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Illinois: Possible marriage equality vote in January lame duck session

Illinois may see a vote in the state legislature on marriage equality in the upcoming lame duck session this January.

From Chicago Business:

After counting heads and consulting with legislative leaders, the chief sponsors of a bill to permit same-sex couples to get married in the state this morning disclosed they intend to push for a vote in the General Assembly’s lame-duck session, which will occur over two weeks just after New Year’s.

And, in an indication of how big a campaign the pro side is launching, they’ve hired the firm founded by top presidential adviser David Axelrod to help them with media, organization and outreach to potential supporters, including corporate officials.

Chief Senate sponsor Sen. Heather Steans said, “We think we can get this done in January, while Rep. Greg Harris, lead advocate of the bill in the state house, concurred, “The timing is right for us to push this… Folks are seeing what’s going on around the country.”

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, as we know, is on board. “I hope that bill goes forward,” he said earlier this week. “It’s the House that probably the key arena at this time, and I think we’ll see how the members look at that issue. They should study it carefully and vote their conscience.”

(source)

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Support for marriage equality surges in Illinois

A new poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University suggests that support for marriage equality in Illinois is growing quickly, with 44 percent now in favor, up 10 percent from just two years ago.

Thirty-two percent support already legal same-sex civil unions, bringing the total support for LGBT rights to 76%

Only 20 percent said there should be no legal recognition for gay and lesbian families.

(source)

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Cook County State’s Attorney says gay marriage ban violates Illinois state constitution

The Illinois attorney’s office has announced that it will concede that the state’s ban on marriages for same-sex couples is unconstitutional in conjunction with two lawsuits filed against the Cook County Clerk.

The governor, the Attorney General, and now the state attorney of Cook County all support same-sex marriage in Illinois.

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office says she’ll submit a filing Thursday that indicates she agrees with several parts of two lawsuits challenging the same sex marriage ban in Illinois, in a move that signals another legal victory for proponents of same-sex marriage. Alvarez’s office said it “will admit the salient allegations within the complaint and concede that the equal protection clause of the Illinois Constitution prohibits discrimination in the issuance of marriage licenses based upon sex or sexual orientation.” “We are in agreement with the plaintiffs that Illinois laws that prohibit same sex marriage are unconstitutional. We believe the plaintiffs are correct in their assertion that the Illinois Constitution upholds marriage equality for same sex couples just as it does for opposite sex couples,” the statement said.

I’m certain anti-gay groups will step forward to defend against the suit themselves.
Same-sex couples in Illinois are currently able to enter into civil unions.

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Marriage equality bill introduced in Illinois

A marriage equality bill has been introduced in Illinois by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the Chicago Phoenix reports:

“It marks the next step in our journey toward full marriage equality in our state,” Harris told Chicago Phoenix. “It’s not going to happen quickly, it’s not going to happen without a lot of hard work.”

If passed, the new law would amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act,  allowing the voluntary conversion of a civil union to a marriage.

Out lesbian lawmakers Rep. Deborah Mell (40th District) and Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (14th District) are co-sponsors of the bill.

Writes Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov in an email:

“We commend these leaders for taking yet another step towards full equality for lesbian and gay families in Illinois, and we are grateful to them for their leadership. This is just the beginning: the road to marriage equality is sure to be long, but it is one that we must travel together.

”

“In following experiences of thousands of couples in civil unions over the past year, we confirmed what we always suspected to be true: that creating a separate institution to provide substantially the same rights did not add up to full equality under the law. A pharmacist who denied prescription pick-up to the patient’s civil union partner didn’t think it’s the same thing as marriage. A coroner who refused to issue a death certificate to civil union partner survivor did not think that civil unions are the same as marriage. Tax preparers, estate planners, employers and employees do not think that civil unions are the same as marriage. Separate is not equal. And we at Equality Illinois will not rest until gay and lesbian couples in every corner of the state – who are equal in love – are also equal in marriage.”