A bill which aims
to make Illinois the 10th state to legalize gay marriage
cleared a state Senate committee on Thursday.
The Senate
Executive Committee approved the measure, sending it to the full
Senate.
However, citing
missing supporters, the bill's champion in the Senate, Senator
Heather Steans, a Democrat from Chicago, called off a full Senate
vote. Steans said three supporters, two Democrats and one
Republican, were not present to vote.
While Democrats
hold a 35-24 majority in the Senate, passage remains uncertain.
The Senate
adjourned its lame-duck session on Thursday, which means the House
could go first in approving the measure when its special session
begins on Sunday. Depending on how the House votes, the Senate could
return to vote on Tuesday. New lawmakers are sworn in on Wednesday.
Steans conceded that the effort in the Senate might need to wait
until after the start of the new legislative session.
“This is
definitely a question of when, not if,” Steans is reported as
saying. “This is the right thing to be doing.”