Breaking News: Senate panel votes yes

[Night update below the earlier posting]


The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted unanimously to approve a bill authorizing same-sex marriage in Vermont.

The committee has been taking testimony on the issue all week, and heard from supporters and opponents of the proposal.

Sen. Kevin Mullin offered an amendment to put the issue before the public in a vote, but other members opposed that amendment. It failed 4-1, with Mullin the only supporter.

The committee unanimously approved an amendment to change the religious exemption portion of the initial bill, and added "spouse" the the terms "bride" and "groom" on state forms.

[Mullin is my senator... and is going on the opposition's line of 'taking it to the people,' and putting this to a referendum, which is not how things operate, fortunately, in Vermont.]

photo is from Wednesday night

More later.

[later] What happens next is that the full senate will vote on the bill next week and then it will go to the house. Whether the governor will sign the bill if it makes it through these two remains to be seen because he maintains that civil unions provide everything that is needed.