A vote in the New Hampshire House on a
bill that would repeal the state's 2-year-old gay marriage law has
been delayed.
Republican leaders who control the
House said in December that the vote would likely come up soon after
the January 10 presidential primary.
According to the Eagle
Tribune, House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt announced the
delay on Tuesday.
“The legislation will not be
considered for a floor vote until February,” he wrote in an email.
“We must deal with some critical financial and economic-related
legislation first, as well as legislative redistricting, prior to any
discussion of gay marriage.”
The delay surprised Rep. Laura
Pantelakos, a Portsmouth Democrat, who said she was prepared to vote
on the bill during Wednesday's legislative session.
“I was definitely looking to vote on
it today,” she said. “I don't know why it was put off. I assume
someone has said they won't get enough votes for it and want to push
it back. It's not a good way to do business.”
Approval off Rep. David Bates' bill
would make New Hampshire the first state to legislatively overturn a
gay marriage law.
Bates' bill would replace the law with
civil unions for any unmarried adults, including relatives, and would
allow anyone to refuse to recognize such unions.
Approximately 2,000 gay and lesbian
couples have married since the law took effect.