ILLINOIS: State Senate To Vote On Marriage Equality On Valentine's Day

In a move that has surely delighted local activists, the president of the Illinois state Senate has selected Valentine's Day for the vote on marriage equality. However, the bill must first pass out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) wants Feb. 14 to be the day his legislative chamber votes to legalize gay marriages in Illinois. I’d like to pass it out of committee next week and pass it on Valentine’s Day,” Cullerton told the Chicago Sun-Times in a meeting Thursday with the newspaper’s Editorial Board. Cullerton said he believes the legislation, Senate Bill 10, has the necessary 30 votes to pass and move to the House, clearing a major hurdle in making Illinois the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriages. Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), the bill’s Senate chief sponsor, and Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief House sponsor, have been working to tweak legislation that surfaced and stalled in January.

According to one writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, many members of the Illinois GOP, well aware that the bill will pass, are hoping to see it approved as soon as possible so that it will be far in the past when re-election time comes. Zoom, zoom, zoom.