Illinois Governor Pat Quinn hopes state
lawmakers will approve a gay marriage bill during the upcoming lame
duck session.
“I hope that bill goes forward,”
Quinn is quoted as saying by The
Chicago Tribune. “It's the House that probably the key
arena at this time, and I think we'll see how the members look at the
issue. They should study it carefully and vote their conscience.”
Quinn, a Democrat, made the comments
during a roundtable with reporters on Monday.
In February, Illinois state Rep. Greg
Harris, along with two other openly gay representatives, Deb Mell and
Kelly Cassidy, introduced the marriage bill. Harris was also the
primary sponsor of Illinois' civil unions law.
“At this point, we will call it when
we have the votes there,” Harris, a Democrat from Chicago, told the
paper. “We can see the trend of public opinion having shifted
dramatically … but it takes time for legislators to figure that
out. And there are a number of other key votes, pensions is
obviously number one among them.”
(Related: Majority
support gay marriage in New Jersey; proponents lead in Illinois.)