Vote Set for Tuesday on Same-Sex Marriage

A vote by the State House Judiciary committee on a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island is scheduled for a vote this afternoon at 3 p.m., the General Assembly Press Bureau announced.

The "Equal Access to Marriage" bill — submitted in the House by Cranston Rep. Arthur Handy and co-sponsored by Rep. Kenneth A. Marshall (D - Dist. 68, Bristol and Warren) — would make Rhode Island the last state in New England to allow same-sex marriages, and would recognize any civil unions as marriages.

According to a release from the General Assembly Press Bureau, "no further testimony will be taken at this hearing." The agenda for today's hearing is attached to this article.

If the proposal passes the committee, it could land on the floor of the state's House of Representatives later this week for a vote. Initial predictions suggest that it will pass both the committee and the House, but it's fate in the Senate is less certain.

What's your take? Is it about time the government stops discriminating against gay Rhode Islanders, or is this an insult to the institution of marriage? Let us know in the comments section below.