Illinois Senate could vote on civil unions legislation today
Wed. December 1, 2010 8:16 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
illinois general assembly on tuesday
Springfield, IL -
Gay and lesbian couples in Illinois are a big step closer to having their unions legally recognized by the state after the Illinois House Tuesday passed an historic civil rights bill.
The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act (SB 1716), co-sponsored by openly gay Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), passed to cheers in the chamber by a 61-52 majority vote. (Read full coverage of Tuesday's vote)
The crucial piece of legislation now moves to the Illinois Senate for a vote that could happen as soon as today.
The Senate, which is expected to pass the bill, has until Dec. 2 to vote. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will then sign it into law, taking effect July 2011.
"We are finally on the bus," The Civil Rights Agenda president Jacob Meister told ChicagoPride.com immediately after Tuesday's House vote. "But we will keep fighting until we are no longer relegated to the back."
Conservative groups, including the Catholic Conference of Illinois and Washington D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage (NOM), lobbied aggressively against the bill.
The bill does not recognize same-sex marriages, but will provide the same spousal rights to same-sex partners when it comes to surrogate decision-making for medical treatment, survivorship, adoptions, and accident and health insurance.
California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington have passed laws allowing same sex civil unions. Same-sex couples can marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington D.C. and Iowa.
The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act (SB 1716), co-sponsored by openly gay Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), passed to cheers in the chamber by a 61-52 majority vote. (Read full coverage of Tuesday's vote)
The crucial piece of legislation now moves to the Illinois Senate for a vote that could happen as soon as today.
The Senate, which is expected to pass the bill, has until Dec. 2 to vote. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will then sign it into law, taking effect July 2011.
"We are finally on the bus," The Civil Rights Agenda president Jacob Meister told ChicagoPride.com immediately after Tuesday's House vote. "But we will keep fighting until we are no longer relegated to the back."
Conservative groups, including the Catholic Conference of Illinois and Washington D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage (NOM), lobbied aggressively against the bill.
The bill does not recognize same-sex marriages, but will provide the same spousal rights to same-sex partners when it comes to surrogate decision-making for medical treatment, survivorship, adoptions, and accident and health insurance.
California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington have passed laws allowing same sex civil unions. Same-sex couples can marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington D.C. and Iowa.