Tag Archives: Vermont

The Vermont House and Senate will vote today on the attempted override of Gov. Jim Douglas’ marriage equality veto. Watch it live here. The vote to override the veto will start Tuesday morning in the Senate, where a 26-4 vote on the bill itself indicates an override is likely. The House vote, possibly later this morning, will be more dramatic. …

As expected. Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, setting the stage for an override vote by the legislature. Mr. Douglas, a Republican, announced in March that he would veto the bill, which the Senate passed overwhelmingly and the House of Representatives approved 96 to 52. The Vermont House only needs five more votes to override …

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas could issue his veto of marriage equality as early as today. The bill passed the state House on Friday and will be reconsidered as a formality tomorrow by both chambers due to new language exempting churches from sanctifying gay unions. The state Senate has more than enough votes to override a veto, but the fight will …

Marriage equality activists will gather at 6:30pm tonight in NYC’s Union Square to react to the decisions by the Iowa Supreme Court and Vermont’s House of Representatives. The Iowa decision is expected to be posted online here by 9:30am Eastern time. Vermont’s House is expected to formalize last night’s vote sometime in mid-afternoon. Join the Facebook group The Power here.

After four hours of heated debate, late tonight Vermont’s House of Representatives approved marriage equality tonight by a vote of 95-52. The legislation, S.115, gives same-sex couples the right to marry in Vermont. The bill will be brought up again Friday for final approval, then return to the Senate, where changes to language must be approved. Should the Senate OK …

I can’t embed their player, but you can go here to watch the Vermont House debate their imminent vote on marriage equality. The vote can come at any minute now.

Vermonters reported receiving anti-gay robocalls from the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage yesterday in advance of today’s House vote on marriage equality. The automated recording urged residents to call their legislators and demand a “no” vote. Desperation move? We should have the result of the vote sometime after 3pm. (Via JMG reader Rebecca)

Today the Vermont House Judiciary Committee voted 8-2 to advance their marriage equality bill to a full House vote. However, an amendment was added to the bill which stipulates specific exemptions for religious institutions that do not wish to perform same-sex weddings. This means that upon the bill’s approval by the full Vermont House, it must either return to the …

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean appeared before LGBT activists yesterday to demand that Vermont approve its pending marriage equality bill. A boisterous crowd cheered former Gov. Howard Dean’s support of Freedom to Marry legislation and health care reform Saturday at a Vermont Democratic Party reception at the Hilton Burlington. Dean’s emotional endorsement of both issues headlined his acceptance of the …

Vermonters are pissed about their governor’s planned veto of their marriage equality bill and today hundreds of them gathered at the state capital to say so. Hundreds of supporters turned out at the Statehouse Friday morning to rally support for the bill legalizing gay marriage, two days after the Republican governor made the surprise announcement that he would reject the …

Vermont Freedom To Marry is asking everybody to directly contact Gov. Jim Douglas and express your outrage/disappointment with his threat to veto the Senate marriage equality bill, S.115.Do it here. UPDATE: Here’s Sean Chapin’s response to Douglas’ veto threat.

Bad news. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he will veto a bill to legalize gay marriage if it passes the Legislature. The Republican had said even before Wednesday’s announcement that he was against same-sex marriage. He also has said lawmakers shouldn’t have spent their time on the bill this session because of the economy and the state’s budget deficit. The …

Meet our new hero, James Neiley. (Via – Bilerico)

And now we’re one step closer in Vermont too. The Vermont Senate voted 26-4 today in favor of the same-sex marriage bill. The bill will have third reading and vote Tuesday. All bills have three readings. It is designed for people to reconsider or amend an item, but it unlikely that a vote would change on a third reading. A …

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee in Vermont unanimously voted to move the marriage equality bill to the full Senate for a vote next week. An amendment to put the issue to the voters failed. The committee did approve an amendment that reaffirms the right of churches to refuse to perform same-sex ceremonies. The addition stipulates that no civil suits can …

Hmmm, what feels familiar about this?

The Vermont legislature just began debating their marriage equality bill. The haters, of course, are out in force. Hundreds of gay marriage opponents have converged on the Vermont Statehouse to lobby lawmakers as the Legislature opens a week’s worth of hearings on a same-sex marriage bill. Cheering and wearing buttons that read “Marriage — A Mother & Father for Every …

Lawmakers in Vermont are “fast tracking” their marriage equality bill, which is widely expected to pass both chambers of the state legislature by the end of the month. The bill is one of several House Speaker Shap Smith and Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin said will be among their priorities when the Legislature reconvenes March 17. Among the others …

A marriage equality bill was introduced today in Vermont’s House of Representatives, although it may not be voted on during the current session. A bill that would allow same-sex unio A bill that would allow same-sex unions was introduced in the Legislature, causing a crowd of about several hundred supporters to gather at the Statehouse in celebration. “This really is …

The Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders are working on a plan for marriage equality in all of New England by 2012. “We can make New England a marriage-equality zone by strategically combining existing legal, electoral and on-the-ground know-how to fast-track marriage in every New England state,” GLAD Executive Director Lee Swislow said. “By 2012, we not only can have …