MASS.: TWO MARRIAGE AMENDMENTS FAIL, LEGISLATORS RECONVENE: From the Boston Globe

After more than six hours of emotional debate, the Massachusetts Legislature yesterday wound up divided over the future of gay marriage in the state and made plans to return at noon today to take up a proposal to
authorize civil unions for same sex couples.

Lawmakers, meeting in a constitutional convention, rejected two proposed amendments yesterday that would have asked voters to ban same-sex marriages in 2006. One of the proposals would have permitted the Legislature to consider authorizing civil unions in the future; the other would have mandated authorization of civil unions. ...

Last night House and Senate lawmakers defeated, on a 104-94 vote, a bipartisan Senate compromise that would have banned same-sex marriages, created civil unions, and reclassified as civil unions any gay marriages that occurred between May and 2006. Hours earlier, the lawmakers narrowly defeated a surprise proposal by Finneran, a strong opponent of gay marriage, that would have barred gay marriage, and permitted, but not required, authorization of civil unions.

The defeats mean that the House and Senate will return for a second day of their historic session, as the lawmakers try to undo the Supreme Judicial Court's decision that would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to allow gay marriage. The ruling says that gay couples can get marriage licenses beginning May 17, but the lawmakers and Governor Mitt Romney are intent on turning them back. ...

Finneran and his leadership team are expected to try to rally support for a new amendment -- pushed by state Representative John Rogers, a Norwood Democrat and close ally of the speaker -- that surfaced last night. It is almost identical to the Senate proposal that was killed yesterday. Legislators will probably also consider an amendment sponsored by Representative Philip Travis, a Rehoboth Democrat, which would ban gay marriage and make no provisions for civil unions.

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posted by Eve at 4:36 PM | link

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