Vermont Senate takes up gay marriage

The Vermont Senate will meet in a special session today to take up a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The measure would replace Vermont's first-in-the-nation civil unions law with one that allows marriage of same-sex partners beginning Sept. 1. Civil unions, which confer some rights similar to marriage, would still be recognized but no longer granted after Sept. 1. The Judiciary Committee voted 5-0 on Friday to advance the bill. Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin (D), a sponsor of the bill, wasted no time in calling the special session to deal with the legislation. A vote by the full Senate is expected this afternoon. Shumlin said he expects the bill to easily pass the Senate. It would then need approval in the House where the vote is likely to be closer. House Speaker Shap Smith (D) said he expects the bill to be approved. But whether Gov. James Douglas (R) will sign it is another question. Douglas chastised the legislature for spending time on the bill when it should be focused on the economy and has said that he believes the civil union law is sufficient for same-sex couples. He has not said, however, if he intends to veto it. If Douglas were to nix the bill it is unclear if there are enough votes to override a veto. Supporters cast the debate as a civil rights issue, saying a civil unions law enacted by the state in 2000 has fallen short of the equality it promised same-sex couples. Its appeal has declined, too: In 2001, the state granted 1,876 civil unions, compared with only 262 last year. An impact study released earlier this month suggests there is a link between the economy and gay marriage. The study, by the Williams Institute at UCLA, found that approval of gay marriage in Vermont could generate $31 million in new spending and $3.3 million in state taxes over three years. Last November, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the Boston-based LGBT rights group that brought the successful legal challenges leading to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and Connecticut launched the "Six by Twelve" campaign to legalize gay marriage throughout all six New England states by 2012. Opponents say gay marriage would undermine traditional male-female marriage, rendering men and women interchangeable and destroying the connection between children and marriage. They want the question put to voters in a referendum.