IL Senate Marriage Vote May Come Today

In a slick move, the Illinois same-sex marriage bill has been withdrawn as a standalone item and will instead be attached as an amendment to a bill that mostly concerns car rentals. The state Senate is expected to vote on the item shortly.

Illinois Senators will no longer be voting on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a bill that LGBT leaders had been working for months to gain support on. Instead, the legalization of gay marriage had been added as a Senate amendment to HB4963, a bill that deals with automobile rentals and the Collateral Recovery Act, according to Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov. The move comes after Senate Democrats failed to secure enough votes to waive a 24-hour rule on the posting of the bill Wednesday night. That could have delayed a vote on marriage a day or more. The amendment will allow the Senate to vote on the bill as early as 11 a.m. this morning. "Everything can change at a moment's notice," said Cherkasov. "It's still absolutely crucial that people contact their lawmakers."

Stand by!

UPDATE: Watch the proceedings live.

UPDATE II: NOM is ever so pissed.