PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State lawmakers in Rhode Island are set to decide whether the nation’s smallest state will become the 10th to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
After months of review and debate, the state Senate is to vote on gay marriage legislation Wednesday afternoon. The bill easily passed the House in January and has the support of independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
Gay marriage legislation has been introduced in Rhode Island’s General Assembly for nearly two decades only to languish on the legislative agenda. Heavily Catholic Rhode Island is now the only state in New England that does not allow same-sex couples to marry. Gay marriage is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 Tuesday to forward the legislation to the Senate floor. If the bill passes the Senate it must return to the House for a largely procedural vote on small changes made to the bill on the Senate side. House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, said a final vote could come as early as next week.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.