Rhode Island Senate President Teresa
Paiva Weed on Wednesday declined to say whether she would allow a
vote on a gay marriage bill in the upcoming legislative session.
House Speaker Gordon Fox earlier said
that he would call a vote on the legislation, if he retains his
position.
“I'm calling the vote,” Fox, an
openly gay Democrat, said on WPRI's Newsmakers.
“It's one of those issues that I need
to come back, we need to address, and I intend if I'm elected speaker
to address it early.”
“It's one of the main reasons I'm
coming back. There's unfinished business,” he said.
The General
Assembly ended its 2012 session without taking up debate on bills
related to gay marriage. One such bill sought to legalize marriage
equality.
According to the AP, Paiva Weed, a Newport
Democrat and an opponent of gay nuptials, is keeping silent.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island announced that only 68 gay and lesbian
couples obtained licenses for civil unions in Rhode Island since the
law took effect last year. The group said the low numbers show that
gay couples are waiting for full marriage.