Photo Of The Day - Colorado Rally

Activists gathered at the Colorado capitol today to demand that the GOP leadership of state Senate allow a debate on the civil unions bill that passed in the state House last week. The legislative session ends tomorrow. [Photo by Ladd Bosworth at One Colorado]

UPDATE: The Denver Post is reporting that the bill WILL be heard today in a House committee today.

The civil-unions measure is expected to pass out of committee because Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, has already said she supports Senate Bill 2. Gerou is vice chair of Appropriations. Democrats need only one Republican vote to get the bill out of Appropriations and to the floor, where GOP leadership will decide whether to call it up and hear the measure. The bill must be debated today because the official vote has to be taken on another day as the debate, and Wednesday is the last day of the session. The bill already has passed two other committees, Judiciary and Finance, each time with the support of a lone Republican swing vote. GOP leaders who oppose the measure had hoped it would die in Judiciary, which is what happened last year.

IF the GOP leadership allows a vote on the House floor, it is expected to pass.