Colorado Senate passes civil unions bill in final vote
February 11, 2013
By Jacob Combs
The Colorado Senate today passed a civil unions bill by a 21-14 vote, the Denver Post reports, with all of the chamber’s 20 Democrats and Republican Ellen Roberts of Durango voting in favor of the measure. This final vote, the third of three, means the bill can now go to the House for approval.
Democrats have a majority in the Colorado House, so the bill is expected to be approved and signed into law by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper in March. Same-sex couples in the state would be able to obtain civil unions in May.
A similar bill was passed by the state Senate last year but died in the House, which was then controlled by Republicans. Although advocates were confident the measure had enough votes to pass a floor vote and Gov. Hickenlooper called a special session specifically to address the issue of civil unions, then-House Majority Leader Frank McNulty assigned the bill to a conservative committee that killed it on a 5-4 party-line vote.
H/t: Towleroad
2 Comments
1. Equality On Trial »&hellip | March 11, 2013 at 2:26 pm
[…] Colorado House today gave its initial approval for a proposed civil unions bill that has already passed the state Senate. A House committee advanced the bill to the full floor late last […]
2. Equality On Trial »&hellip | March 12, 2013 at 10:07 am
[…] has just passed a civil unions bill by a vote of 39-26. Since the bill has already been approved by the state Senate, it will now go to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has pledged to sign […]