Quinn To House: 'It's Time To Vote' For Gay Marriage
From the Chicago Tribune
Gov. Pat Quinn called on the Illinois House to send him legislation to legalize gay marriage, saying lawmakers have had plenty of time to make up their mind on the issue.
The state Senate passed the measure on Valentine's Day, and the governor has said he's ready to sign it.
"It's time to vote," Quinn said Thursday. "Illinois passing marriage equality into law, I think, sends a great signal to the people of our state and the people of America. So it's important to Illinois (that) the House of Representatives get going."
The Democratic governor's comments came a day after Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay marriage bill into law and the same day the Minnesota House endorsed a same-sex marriage bill.
Quinn contends the support is there to pass the measure, though sponsoring Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, would not say when he expects to call the legislation for a vote. Harris noted that lawmakers were focused on pension reform but said momentum continues to build in favor of same-sex marriage.
"In the last couple months we have seen the voters of three different states vote for marriage equality at the ballot box and in the last week we saw two other states, and probably a third today, where the legislature said that treating people equally is the right American thing to do," Harris said. "Now the eyes of the country are on Illinois to see if we are going to do the right thing."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Tribune
Gov. Pat Quinn called on the Illinois House to send him legislation to legalize gay marriage, saying lawmakers have had plenty of time to make up their mind on the issue.
The state Senate passed the measure on Valentine's Day, and the governor has said he's ready to sign it.
"It's time to vote," Quinn said Thursday. "Illinois passing marriage equality into law, I think, sends a great signal to the people of our state and the people of America. So it's important to Illinois (that) the House of Representatives get going."
The Democratic governor's comments came a day after Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay marriage bill into law and the same day the Minnesota House endorsed a same-sex marriage bill.
Quinn contends the support is there to pass the measure, though sponsoring Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, would not say when he expects to call the legislation for a vote. Harris noted that lawmakers were focused on pension reform but said momentum continues to build in favor of same-sex marriage.
"In the last couple months we have seen the voters of three different states vote for marriage equality at the ballot box and in the last week we saw two other states, and probably a third today, where the legislature said that treating people equally is the right American thing to do," Harris said. "Now the eyes of the country are on Illinois to see if we are going to do the right thing."
Read more in our daily News Update...