A Colorado bill which seeks to
recognize gay and lesbian couples with civil unions will be heard by
a Senate committee on Wednesday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is
expected to hear Senator Pat Steadman's bill when it meets at 1:30PM.
Steadman, an openly gay Democrat from
Denver, has pitched his measure during three legislative sessions in
a row. In previous sessions, Republicans who controlled the House
blocked the proposals from reaching the House floor. Rather than
allowing a vote on the bill last year, Republicans shut down voting
altogether, killing nearly two dozen unrelated measures.
Democrats regained control of the House
in November and elected Mark Ferrandino, an openly gay man who
sponsored the bill in the House last year, as House speaker, nearly
assuring passage in that chamber.
Opponent of the measure have warned
that the ultimate goal for Democrats is extending marriage rights to
gay and lesbian couples.
For his part, Steadman has said that
Colorado's 2006 constitutional amendment limiting marriage to
heterosexual couples “will not stand the test of time.”