Justin's Political Corner
With just days left before the Illinois General Assembly ends its regular session, activists are scrambling to get a gay marriage bill to the finish line.
Supporters have racked up an impressive number of high-profile victories in recent months, including adding three states to the marriage equality column through the ballot box in November – Washington, Maine and Maryland – and an equal number through legislative votes held this month, the latest state being Minnesota. Wedding bells will also soon ring for gay couples in Rhode Island and Delaware.
(Another victory came earlier this year in Colorado, where lawmakers approved a civil unions law, possibly the best outcome for marriage equality supporters until a constitutional amendment is repealed.)
With Democrats in control of both chambers of the General Assembly and Democratic Governor Pat Quinn in support, the move from civil unions to full marriage wasn’t expected to come down to the wire in Illinois. After all, Rep. Greg Harris, the sponsor of the civil unions bill in the House, committed his support for a marriage bill even before the civil unions law took effect in 2011.
The marriage bill already has had one false start. Last year during a brief lame-duck session the bill was added to the agenda in the Senate but never came up for a vote. Its champion in the chamber, Democratic Senator Heather Steans, said that time was the main factor behind the decision to postpone a vote.
Six weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, the Senate approved the measure. A House panel agreed a month later, leaving only one hurdle for the marriage bill to clear.
H/T: OnTopMag.com
With Minnesota looking poised to enact marriage equality early next week, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) is getting restless. In remarks Thursday, he called for the Illinois House of Representatives to follow the state Senate’s lead and enact marriage equality.
Quinn, who endorsed same-sex marriage last May, has been personally lobbying undecided legislators and says supporters are close to the required 60 votes.
After months of delays, Quinn says it is now “time to vote.” He told reporters “it’s important that Illinois and the House of Representatives get moving… I believe a majority exists to get this bill passed through the House onto my desk so I can sign it into law.”
Recent polling showed 50 percent of Illinois voters in support of marriage equality, compared with just 29 percent in opposition. In addition to Quinn, both of the state’s U.S. Senators — Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk — have endorsed equal marriage.
A source told the Chicago Phoenix that the bill currently has 58 of the necessary 60 votes for passage. The legislative session ends on May 31.
We’re getting there!
SPRINGFIELD-Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday called on Illinois House members to take action on a same-sex marriage bill that’s been dormant there for more than 80 days, adding that he thinks the votes are there to send the measure to his desk.
“Illinois passing marriage equality into law, I think, sends a great signal to the people of our state and the people of America,” Quinn told reporters after appearing at a ceremony in Springfield honoring firefighters. “So, it’s important that Illinois and the House of Representatives get moving.
“I believe a majority exists to get this bill passed through the House onto my desk so I can sign it into law.”
Since the state Senate sent the bill to the House on a passionate Valentine’s Day vote, the House has taken votes on key issues such as pension reform, concealed carry and medical marijuana. But the full House floor has yet to debate legalizing same-sex marriage in Illinois, an objective at the top of Quinn’s list.
“I think, you know, it’s time to vote,” Quinn said. “We’ve waited now three months, and it’s, I think, plenty of time for people to reflect on it. And now it’s time to pass it.”
I’m hoping this vote occurs ASAP and praying for its passage in the House when it’s time to vote on it.
h/t: Chicago Sun-Times
Springfield, IL — Legislators have returned to Springfield this week, and numerous activists are asking whether this could be the week that the House will vote to make Illinois the 10th state permitting same-sex marriage.
The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act passed the House Executive Committee in a narrow 6-5 vote Feb. 26, and the full state Senate Feb. 14. Should the legislation pass the House, the bill’s passage is all but guaranteed. Gov. Pat Quinn has long assured marriage equality advocates that he will sign the legislation, and today told Windy City Times that he thought the vote was close.
“We’ve been talking to house members of both parties, really dozens of them,” Quinn said. ”I’m really optimistic we’re within striking distance. Hopefully between now and the 31st of May, Greg Harris, our sponsor, will find a moment to call the bill for a roll call.”
Several other lawmakers have picked up the baton as well, among them House Speaker Michael Madigan, who suddenly announced back in March that the bill was 12 votes shy of passing, had publically expressed his desire to see the bill pass. His daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan—whose office last year intervened on behalf of 25 couples who sued the Cook County Clerk’s office for the right to marry—penned an April 24 Chicago Tribune editorial in support as well. She wrote, “Legal arguments aside, this issue at its heart is about one of the most fundamental decisions we can make — with whom to share our lives. In every community in Illinois, same-sex couples have chosen to join together and, in many instances, to raise families of their own. … They deserve the same rights and responsibilities that civil marriage offers straight couples.”
Some support has started to stream in from across the aisle, as some GOP politicians started to speak out on behalf of gay marriage. Sen. Mark Kirk on April 2 said he supported the legislation, owing to a change of perspective brought on by his near-death experience. ”Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage,” said Kirk in a statement. ”Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady Saturday contended with two unsuccessful attempts to oust him as party chairman, led by anti-gay state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove), over his support for same-sex marriage.
Many activists and politicians contend that a large number of GOP House members support the legislation in private but are to afraid to vote yes for fear of a backlash from constituents. Activists have thus continued efforts to lobby and educate them, along with reluctant Democrats. Organizations such as Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal andThe Civil Rights Agenda have repeatedly called upon residents to contact their legislators to both urge them to vote yes and share connections with gay and lesbian family and friends.
“Every day until this passes, people need to be in touch with their representatives—let them know that the people of Illinois want this brought to a vote,” said Bernard Cherkasov of Equality Illinois in March.
But marriage equality advocates aren’t the only ones calling Illinoisans to action. The conservative website Illinois Review reported April 30 that constituents of State Reps. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island), Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) and Art Turner (D-Chicago) are receiving robo-calls urging them to ask their legislators to vote no on the legislation. The calls feature former State Sen. James Meeks and are funded by the National Organization for Marriage. They reportedly stem from a coalition between some African American ministers, Hispanic ministers and the Chicago Archdiocese, according to Illinois Review.
H/T: Chicago.GoPride.com
More than a dozen Illinois representatives not voting yes on marriage equality have found themselves sitting across from Gov. Pat Quinn in recent days, he said.
Quinn, a strong supporter of SB10, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois, said he has been pushing lawmakers to pass the bill by the end of May when the spring session ends.
Windy City Times caught up with Quinn and asked him about repeated delays on the bill’s passage in the House and just how close he thinks sponsors are to passing it.
Windy City Times: Governor thanks for talking with us. Where do things stand this week on the bill?
Gov. Pat Quinn: We’ve been talking to house members of both parties, really dozens of them. I’m really optimistic we’re within striking distance. Hopefully between now and the 31st of May, Greg Harris, our sponsor, will find a moment to call the bill for a roll call.
I do believe we are very, very close, and we’ve come a long, long way.
WCT: What have your efforts behind the scenes looked like on this?
PQ: First of all, you always work with folks in the community, both individuals and organizations. I’ve been inspired by the efforts of so many groups—Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal. I was very happy to see the NAACP come out in favor of marriage equality. The fact that we’re voting on this bill in Springfield, the home of Abraham Lincoln, I think is a very important message to our country and to our world that Illinois … we want to make sure we send a message of equal rights and fairness to other states in our country.
What I do is I sit down with legislators. We visit about the issue. We did the same when, Greg Harris, as you know, was the sponsor of the civil unions bill a couple years ago. He had 57 votes, and he had about four legislators who were not voting for it. But he thought if I talked to them they might come around. I did, and we got 61.
We need to have that same team approach in the next few days in order to pass marriage equality. This is an epic, epic victory if we can win it. It will send a very clear message to other states in the Midwest and in our country.
WCT: There was a lot of momentum on this bill at the start, coming out of the Senate. Some predicted it could be passed by February. What is the holdup on a vote in the House?
PQ: Well, with the members of the House, it’s a little larger body, 118 members. Clearly, the opponents have been very aggressive, no question about it. But we, I think, have been strong at laying out the fundamental facts and arguments in favor of marriage equality.
The fact of the matter is, the reason why we’re so close is due to the tireless efforts of families and individuals and groups and who aren’t going to let scare tactics get in the way of equal rights and fairness. This has been a very inspiring grassroots campaign from people all over our state. It certainly has impressed me, and I’ve very anxious to get the bill so I can sign into law. But we can’t assume anything until we get the 60 votes in the house. So, we have to be focused here in the next few weeks at getting our message across, answering the other side’s arguments, which I think we can answer.
WCT: What do you want to see Illinoisans doing right now to support that effort?
PQ: In high school, I was a cross country runner, a long distance runner. That’s what we have to remember in this battle for marriage equality. We’ve come a long distance. We’ve traveled over a very high mountain. But when you come down to the last stretch in the race, we’ve got to sprint. We cannot jog. In other words, what we have to do in these next few days and weeks is redouble our efforts because we don’t want any legislators at the last minute deciding not to vote yes.
WCT: If you have the opportunity to sign this bill into law, what are your plans for the signing?
PQ: I look forward to that. You got to win first. But, we will obviously, on the day of signature, want to have something that involves the community, that involves all the families who have written letters, sent emails, made phone calls, come to meetings, who have been fighting for this in some cases for decades. We’ll have to find a meaningful way to send that message to all of those who worked so hard that our democracy listens to the people.
WCT: How many votes do you think you have right now?
PQ: Well, there’s an old saying in Springfield: “Sixty in the House is a landslide.” That’s how we should look at it. We have to get to that majority number. I think we can get more than that, but if we get 60, that’s enough.
I feel there’s a very strong majority of people in Illinois in favor of marriage equality, more than ever. We’ve got to convert that majority of the public into majority in the House of Representatives representing the public.
WCT: It was not too long ago that you came out on your own support for marriage equality. Can you talk about your own journey on LGBT rights?
PQ: It really is interesting. When I go out to eat at a restaurant, almost every time I’m meeting in public there, two people come up to me, and they say, “Because of you signing the bill, civil unions, we’re together today. We’re in a civil union.”
Most folks are very grateful for that. I certainly have seen firsthand and personally. I was at Grant Park after we signed the civil unions bill, and so many folks on that day came together. It was really quite inspiring. I think that has taught everybody, including me, how important it is to have fairness and equal rights. And that includes marriage equality.
I think our country as we move forward will be inspired by Illinois if we can win this.
WCT: Do you expect to see a vote this week?
PQ: I think the sooner the better, really. I think we’ve worked very hard at this. I think it’s time to have the vote, and I sure hope so.
WCT: Is there anything you want to add?
PQ: I think that Windy City Times and all of the leaders and family members in the community should know that it’s their tireless advocacy that has brought us to this moment. It really is an inspiring moment for our democracy that people can ban together for a cause they believe in and carry the day to win an important passage of a law that will last long after we’ve left this earth. But we’ve got to get the job done.
H/T: Windy City Times
The Republican Party is losing one of its potential front-running candidates for governor.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock has opted not to seek the governor’s mansion, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The young GOP rising star is expected to make a formal announcement Friday.
“He said back in the fall he was going to see whether he thought he could do more good running for re-election for Congress or running for governor,” Schock aide Steve Shearer told the Peoria Star late Thursday.
Schock, 31, ultimately decided to remain on Capitol Hill, where he serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said Shearer, Schock’s chief of staff and campaign manager.
But the young third-term Peoria congressman also faced the reality of a crowded GOP field — and a tough general election race if he prevailed.
Republicans still potentially in the running include state Treasurer Dan Rutherford; state Sen. Kirk Dillard, of Hinsdale; state Sen. Bill Brady, of Bloomington; Winnetka millionaire Bruce Rauner, and WLS-AM (890) radio talk show host Dan Proft.
Rauner has already formed an exploratory committee stocked with business leaders capable of raising money to add to contributions Rauner can make from his own fortune.
“Aaron realized he is only 31 and is not willing to risk everything against Rauner’s millions and probably Lisa Madigan,” said one state House Republican familiar with Schock’s thinking.
Madigan, the Illinois attorney general and daughter of state Speaker Michael Madigan, is eyeing a primary run against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Former Commerce Secretary William Daley also is a possible Democratic candidate.
h/t: Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO (AP) - Gov. Pat Quinn says he’s confident same-sex marriage will become law in Illinois.
Quinn told reporters in Chicago on Monday that supporters are “very close” to the votes needed in the state House to pass legislation that grants same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.
The Illinois Senate already approved it. But getting the 60 votes needed in the House is proving harder. Quinn didn’t suggest a current vote count, but he said “we’re going to get it done.”
According to Governor Pat Quinn’s wording on this issue, it looks like the Illinois House will likely vote on same-sex marriage within the next two weeks (or really anytime before the end of May). Expect the debate on both sides of the issue to ratchet up to 30 in the coming days on social media, our state Legislature, and in the churches.
h/t: KSDK.com
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Blessed with natural resources but never enough jobs, southern Illinois counties have begun sampling the fruits of a land rush linked to a debated drilling practice that speculators believe can tap elusive oil and natural gas thousands of feet underground.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees have flowed into county coffers from a stream of “land men,” often out-of-staters who converged in recent years to scour title records for prime parcels for exploration. County clerks funneled much of that windfall into digitizing bulky, age-yellowed record books that took a toll from all the frenzied searches.
A coffee shop owner credits the visitors with saving her business in Wayne County’s tiny Fairfield. The county’s finance board leader says he’s seen more locals sporting new vehicles and spending more on items at auctions, thanks to land deals tied to the drilling push.
Locals believe the best is yet to come. But, as lawmakers in Springfield argue about potentially ground-breaking regulations that would facilitate the so-called practice of “fracking,” it’s difficult to determine how much of the region stands to benefit. Industry officials say at least 17 counties — perhaps a sixth of the state — could see some activity, and that landowners already have leased perhaps half a million acres.
“Once they hit a well, everybody and their dog will be in here drilling,” said Steve Ehrhart, head of the finance committee in Wayne County, which has been one of the epicenters of the land speculation.
For many in the region, where oil rigs dot the landscape and coal mines long have been king, there’s broad hope of bigger financial gains from a drilling process they hope sweeps in soon, using high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals to crack rock formations and release trapped oil and natural gas.
Gov. Pat Quinn and industry groups say the new drilling could create as many as 40,000 jobs, by some estimates. Many counties in this often-struggling, largely rural region say could use the jobs they’re convinced would come from the drilling itself, the building of fences and roads, and the related trucking.
For now, fracking is waiting on state lawmakers, who will resume weighing how to regulate it when they return to Springfield next week. Industry groups and some environmental groups have crafted a compromise that would implement some of the toughest regulations in the country, but other environmentalists are demanding a moratorium until the impact can be further studied.
Of special intrigue is the region’s New Albany Shale, a formation roughly 5,000 feet below the surface. While the industry says the formation underlies some two-thirds of the state, land is being leased in only about 17 southern counties because the shale likely will yield significant natural resources only in the areas where it’s deepest underground.
Hamilton, Wayne and White counties, where oil and gas drilling has taken place for decades, are among the hottest targets for prospectors, though leases also are being acquired in two counties — Johnson and Pope — where there never has been drilling, Richards said.
It’s been good for the bottom line of Hamilton County, where clerk and recorder Mary Anne Hopfinger says her office has reaped some $450,000 the past two years just in copying and other fees from visiting land title researchers. During that stretch, she said, more than 1,600 oil and gas leases have been logged there, 1,000 since January 2012.
“When all this activity first started, it was overwhelming to say the least,” she said, noting three to four dozen people at a time once sought access land records she’s now digitizing.
It’s a similar story in Wayne County, where the governing board uniformly has endorsed fracking. Clerk Glenda Young estimates her office has collected $200,000 in fees since 2011, plowing a chunk of that money into a soon-to-be-completed push to put her records online.
“That wouldn’t have happened had it not been for the rush” from which more than 2,000 land leases have been recorded since January 2010, she said.
In both settings, the rush has tapered a bit, leaving elected officials in the counties eager for what they hope is the next wave of fracking prosperity.
Fracking is a bad idea, especially in the long run.
h/t: Yahoo! News
Tweeted this morning from Bernie Schoenburg (@bschoenburg), veteran political columnist at the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill.:
“Speaker Madigan says same-sex marriage 12 votes short in House”
That’s ominous for same-sex marriage supporters in Illinois, where the issue has passed the state Senate, has a vow of support from Gov. Pat Quinn, and had appeared headed for historic final passage in the House any time now.
The House, like almost everything else in Illinois, is under Democratic control. But contrary to popular perception, Speaker Michael Madigan can’t (or won’t) necessarily make them all go where they don’t want to on an issue as controversial as this. If they are in fact still a dozen votes short at this point, after weeks of high-profile national coverage, then the bill is in serious trouble.
With a looming House vote as the last remaining obstacle to legalizing gay marriage in Illinois, activists on both sides of the issue are ratcheting up the pressure on state lawmakers.
Undecided lawmakers have been inundated with calls in recent days, according to the Windy City Times. State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Democrat, was the target of a Monday rally outside his Oak Park office, where demonstrators called on Ford — who voted yes on civil unions in 2010 but has not stated his position on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act — to vote in favor of the bill.
Groups opposing marriage equality in the state have amped up their efforts in recent days as well, with the conservative Chicago-based Family-PAC sending robo-calls out to voters urging them to tell state lawmakers they won’t be reelected if they support the upcoming bill.
A date for the bill’s vote is not yet scheduled but is expected to take place any day now. If the bill achieves the 60 votes needed for passage in the House, which is generally considered to be more conservative than the Senate, it would next head to Gov. Quinn’s desk for his signature. The vote is expected to be close.
With a final vote on legalizing same-sex marriage possible any day now, activists on both sides of the issue are turning up pressure on undecided lawmakers.
A House vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act has been predicted as early as this week, with advocates stating that a mid-week vote appeared most likely. Next week is also possible, although LGBT leaders said they want to see a vote as soon as possible.
The constituents of undecided lawmakers have been inundated with calls in recent days, and prominent supporters for the bill have been turning up pressure.
If the bill passes in the House, it is expected to become law. Gov. Pat Quinn strongly supports the measure and has vowed to sign it into law. He drove home that message in a statement released to supporters March 11.
“Marriage equality is coming to Illinois — and if we all do our part, we can pass this historic legislation as soon as this week,” Quinn wrote.
Quinn noted that four years ago, passing civil unions seemed like a long shot, only to later become law.
“But that was just the first step in our journey toward treating all families equally under the law in Illinois,” Quinn said. “It’s clear that Illinois is ready to take the next step forward and secure marriage equality for all.”
Lawmakers who appeared on the fence have received most of the attention over the past few days.
Rep. La Shawn Ford was the target of a March 11 rally outside his 8th Dist. office in Oak Park. Demonstrators called on Ford to vote in favor of equal marriage. Ford voted for civil unions and was endorsed by Equality Illinois but has not made public statements on the measure.
Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, said that the overwhelming sense in past weeks is that the time for equal marriage has come.
“People - including many who have previously stayed quiet in their support for marriage - are coming out and demanding that the lawmakers do the right thing and do it now: it’s time to recognize the freedom to marry,” said Cherkasov, in a statement to Windy City Times.
But pressure in Ford’s district has come from both sides. Oak Park residents have reported receiving robocalls from James Meeks, a former Ill. Senator long opposed to same-sex marriage. On Meeks’ Facebook page, a handful of people disparaged the calls.
H/T: Windy City Times
Well, the local paper @theSouthern Illinoisan I’ve already blogged is pro fracking. My home town tv station @WSILnews is tokenly sympathetic to the local anti-fracking group SAFE. WSIL are the only ones who dare to give SAFE steady news coverage.
Last Friday night SAFE had a large educational event in Carbondale, IL at the community center. @thesouthern covered it but didn’t feature the event in the weekend paper or do interviews. Despite the seriousness of the public safety concerns broadcast, it didn’t get as much MSM coverage as an average town hall.
Compare that with today’s cover of @thesouthern. Environmentalists lost an appeals court decision and editors put it right on the cover w/ court opinion online. Nevertheless, the earthquake and toxic water aquifer concerns aired during the SAFE event has made it one of the top most popular stories visited on @thesouthern web site.
Last night the IL Governor Pat Quinn gave his 2013 State of the State address. Jack Tichenor of @wsiutv Illinois Lawmakers covered it and interviewed the House minority & majority leaders separately about Fracking. Only the GOP House minority leader’s positive response “It’ll mean jobs and money” was posted online. IL House majority leader Mike Madigan’s response was not posted online. Madigan told Tichenor last night that many IL Congress members would prefer the fracking industry moratorium bill for 2 years, pending the federal EPA review.
This morning IL unemployment hit a new high of 9%. @WSILnews said that IL Governor Pat Quinn is facing a bruising primary coming up. @WSILnews also announced that Quinn’s response to the negative unemployment report is to come out strong for the jobs promised by the fracking extractive industries. Chicago’s Tribune/Gannett corporation broadcaster @WGNnews today at noon also had some pro fracking messages during their business report, by CME group/Bloomberg business from the floor of the Chicago stock exchange. They reported that the Chicago mining/extractive industries director has a message for all job seekers. “You will get a job as a drilling engineer for $80K-$120K right now if you can spell ‘S-h-a-l-e’”
Taken in context with the high IL unemployment news and the budget pension mess, it means a BIG green light for IL fracking business come hell or high water. Public safety & environmental concerns are all done now in Springfield. As evidence of this House speaker Mike Madigan’s statement to Jack Tichener was removed from the WSIU web site.
Madigan had said, “Many colleagues have widespread earthquake & water concerns about hydraulic fracturing in Illinois. It is a problematic technology. Fracking has turned out badly for the environment in Texas and Pennsylvania. It seems that there are many problems” True, both Texas and Pennsylvania are looking to dump their fracking waste down the Ohio and up the Mississippi rivers now.
There is nothing about Madigan’s statement on the public television blog. I will be watching the end of the rebroadcast of ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ Saturday night after 8 pm on WSIU digital @WORLDchannelPTV. I will attempt to videotape Madigan’s statement, but I expect it to be edited from the rebroadcast after today’s news of 9% IL unemployment. No doubt speaker Madigan had the counter-interview removed himself.
Democratic Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan reportedly met with strategists at two prominent progressive groups during a visit to Washington, D.C., last week, further fueling speculation that she plans a Democratic primary challenge to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn next year.
“She’s leaning heavily toward a run and was doing rounds to build relationships and gauge potential support,” one unnamed source familiar with the meetings told POLITICO, which reported the meetings this morning.
As we’ve reported here, Madigan, daughter of powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, has long been viewed as a future candidate for governor.
h/t: STLtoday.com
It started with Massachusetts in 2004, and if the Illinois state House allows it as the state Senate did Thursday, Illinois will be the 10th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.
So far, supporters of same-sex marriage in Illinois are anxiously awaiting the House to call a vote on the marriage legislation just passed by the Senate 34-21. Gov. Quinn has already promised his John Hancock for the bill, and we fully expect him to follow through on it.
But now, it’s a waiting game. The House, once it is sure it can pass the bill, will easily push it on through. Because of the chamber’s Democratic supermajority, the question is not if it will pass, but when it will pass.
For years, the hesitation with changing the laws regarding the issue was surely its religious overtones. Marriage began as a religious institution, and governments the world around began to codify its existence in the law books. But as Americans have become more accepting of same-sex marriage, that viewpoint is shifting faster and faster.
A state with as large and diverse of a population as Illinois can prove to be an effective testing ground for new ideas like marriage legislation. As more and more states pass laws allowing for two people of the same sex to wed, more will jump on the bandwagon. Furthermore, the higher the success rate for such an idea, which was once considered to be overtly radical, the more likely other states will do the same.
Even those states in which lawmakers and citizens stand staunchly opposed to this kind of legislation will eventually crop up as a form of political socialization of sorts. No matter the institution, given enough pressure from others, states will cave and join the shift.
With enough pressure, no norm — religious or political — can remain unchanged.
And with that courage, we hope the House passes the bill.
Git-r-done, Illinois!!
h/t: Daily Illini
The Illinois Senate on Thursday is expected to advance a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to a vote in the state House of Representatives, the last remaining obstacle to marriage equality in the land of Lincoln.
The historic vote could come as early as 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the Windy City Times, and marriage equality proponents are very confident in their odds.
The bill was advanced last week by the state Senate Executive Committee, for the second time. Following that vote, the powerful Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said he, too, was confident the bill will be approved by the full Senate in its Valentine’s Day vote and, in his State of the State address, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn urged both chambers of the state General Assembly to approve the bill so that he can sign into law.
The state House of Representatives is considered to be more conservative than the state Senate and those opposed to the bill are also ramping up their efforts. Downstate, Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki issued a screed urging that Catholics who “propose or promote the legal establishment of marriage as something other than the union of one man and one woman harm the common good of society.”
If Illinois moves to legalize same-sex marriage, it will become the tenth marriage equality U.S. state. The state has had civil unions available for same-sex couples since June 2011.
The vote on #ILSB10 could happen as early as 11AM CST tomorrow. #IL4M #ILequality #Twill #ILove #p2 #lgbtq #marriageequality
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) February 13, 2013
h/t: Huffington Post
