Tag: Rhode Island

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Rhode Island: Marriage equality bills introduced in both state house and state senate

Marriage equality bills were introduced today in both the Rhode Island House and Senate:

The identical bills were sponsored by Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, (House bill 5015) and Sen. Donna Nesselbush, D-Pawtucket. Handy said 42 of 75 House members had signed on as cosponsors, while Nesselbush said 11 of 38 Senate members had signed on as of 4:50 p.m. The bills would define marriage as the “legally recognized union” of two people.

The bills would define marriage as the “legally recognized union” of two people.

Same-sex marriage is recognized in nine states, including all the other New England states, as well as the District of Columbia. Thirty-seven states define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

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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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Governor of Rhode Island issues executive order recognizing same-sex marriages performed out-of-state

Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed an executive order today that allows Rhode Island to recognize same-sex marriages performed out of state.

Reports the AP:

The executive order is expected to have many real-world implications. Same-sex spouses of state employees and anyone covered by an insurance company regulated in Rhode Island will be entitled to health and life insurance benefits, gay rights advocates say.
Both partners in a same-sex couple will be able to list their names as parents on a child’s birth certificate, and same-sex couples will be entitled to sales tax exemptions on the transfer of property including vehicles.

Rhode Island has been the one state in New England to drag it’s feet to actually legalizing same-sex marriage.

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Rhode Island: Marriage equality could generate $1.2 million new revenue

The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law says Rhode Island stands to generate nearly $1.2 million in new government revenue over three years if the state allows gay and lesbian couples to marry.

The new revenue would come primarily in the form of additional tax revenue. The study estimates that same-sex weddings would generate $400,000 in new sales tax dollars over three years.

Also, married couples filing their state taxes jointly would pay an estimated $786,000 in new income taxes over the same period.

Rhode Island lawmakers voted last year to permit same-sex couples to form civil unions after gay marriage legislation failed.
(source)

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Rhode Island: Gov. Chafee signs Civil Unions Bill into law

In a bittersweet moment for LGBT supporters, Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the recently passed Civil Unions bill into law today.

Many thought for a long part of the legislative debate, that marriage equality would come to pass. Chafee had urged the General Assembly to consider same-sex marriage this legislative session. But some legislators felt it would be doomed in a state populated by many elderly and Catholic voters.

Civil unions legislation, sponsored by Rep. Peter J. Petrarca, D-Lincoln, emerged in early May after Speaker Fox, who is openly gay and a supporter of same-sex marriage, announced that support was lacking for same-sex marriage legislation.

Despite opposition from many marriage-equality advocates, the compromise legislation passed the Senate, 21 to 16, on Wednesday night during the General Assembly’s mad dash to finish its session.

Chafee said he signed the civil unions bill with “reservations” because it “brings tangible rights and benefits to thousands of Rhode Islanders. It also provides a foundation from which we will continue to fight for full marriage equality.”

He had two major criticisms of the civil union bill: that it failed to provide full marriage equality to same-sex couples and that it allowed religious entities to choose to not recognize civil unions.

The new law includes a section that says no religious organization — including some hospitals, cemeteries, schools and community centers — or its employees may be required to treat as valid any civil union, providing a religious exemption “of unparalleled and alarming scope,” Chafee said in a statement.

As a result, a civil union spouse could be denied the right to make medical decisions for his or her partner, access to health insurance benefits, property rights in adjoining burial plots or family memberships at some community centers. That could cause partners significant harm at critical moments in their lives, the governor said.

Neighboring states Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as nearby Vermont and New Hampshire, allow full marriage for same-sex couples, leaving Rhode Island a bit of the odd man out in New England.

Hawaii and Illinois celebrated the passing of civil unions in their states, but Rhode Island was looked to be the next full marriage equality state.

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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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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.

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Rhode Island: Civil Unions bill passes out of committee

The Rhode Island house judiciary committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, clearing the way for a house vote on the measure Thursday.

The committee approved the bill by a 9 to 3 vote.

“The bill would allow gay couples to enter into civil unions granting all of the rights and benefits given to married couples under Rhode Island law, but stops short of sanctioning marriage. The proposal was introduced as a compromise after legislative leaders said gay marriage legislation lacked the votes to pass this year,” reports the AP.

However, marriage equality advocates, unhappy about the second-class status conferred by civil unions, plan to make a last-minute push to replace the bill with a proposal to grant full marriage rights. Antigay critics, such as the National Organization for Marriage, also oppose the bill because they consider civil unions a stepping stone to granting marriage equality.

House speaker Gordon Fox, who is gay, decided to back civil unions last month after he determined the votes were not there to pass the measure in the legislature. The speaker, who has been heavily criticized by marriage equality advocates, defended his decision in a separate interview with the Associated Press.

“‘I believe they have a higher expectation of me,’ Fox said, because of his sexual orientation,” according to the AP. “‘I think it’s also people that want this badly, that may not understand the process as much.’”
(via Advocate.com)

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Marriage equality rally in Rhode Island

Marriage Equality Rhode Island is organizing an anti-civil unions rally at the state house. While some activists believe the votes are there for full marriage equality, other pro-gay legislators don’t agree.

I’m not sure. Obviously I’m not in the thick of the debate there.

Some days I’m of a mind it’s better to get something than nothing, and fight again another day; other days I’m firmly in the camp that believes “separate but equal is never equal” so why bother?

I just wish everyone had equal rights.

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Rhode Island: Civil Unions bill to be introduced

Rhode Island lawmakers are working out the details of legislation that would create civil unions and plan to introduce the proposal next week.

A House spokesman said Thursday that lawmakers are reviewing civil union laws in other states to help them craft the proposal, which could be introduced Tuesday.

The new bill comes after House Speaker Gordon Fox declared that gay marriage legislation wouldn’t pass the General Assembly this year. Fox, who is gay, now supports civil unions as a more politically feasible alternative.

This development is a disappointment for groups that fought for marriage equality this year in Rhode Island.  They say they’ll oppose any proposal that falls short of full marriage. Gay marriage opponents also oppose civil unions.

Rep. Frank Ferri, a Warwick Democrat who is gay, has stated that he wants to see the bill’s details before making up his mind.