Colorado State Senator Pat Steadman on
Monday introduced a bill that would give gay and lesbian couples many
of the benefits and responsibilities of marriage.
Democratic Representative Mark
Ferrandino is sponsoring the legislation in the House.
Steadman, an openly gay Democrat, said
he's proposing the law because a 2006 voter-approved constitutional
amendment bans gay marriage in the state.
“This is a method of recognizing
committed relationships between two people and allowing them to
access the full scope of protections in Colorado law,” Steadman
told the Denver Post.
The paper noted that passage in the
Democrat-controlled Senate was nearly guaranteed, but less likely is
a win in the House, which is controlled by Republicans.
Ferrandino, who is also openly gay,
said there is Republican support for the bill in the chamber.
If approved, Colorado would join New
Jersey and Illinois in offering the union. Illinois
Governor Pat Quinn signed his state's bill into law last month.
Lawmakers
in Hawaii are also poised to approved a similar measure.
A
majority(52%) of Colorado residents favor legalizing gay marriage.