The Delaware House on Thursday approved
a civil unions bill and sent it to the desk of Governor Jack Markell
for his signature. Markell added his support three weeks ago at an
outdoor event to introduce the measure.
Democratic Senator Dave Sokola's civil
unions bill, which gives gay and lesbian couples all of the legal
protections of marriage, cleared the Democrat-controlled House after
a two-hour debate with a 26 to 15 vote.
The measure cleared the Senate with a
comfortable 13 to 6 vote last Thursday after supporters fought off
two amendments sponsored by Democratic Senator Robert Venables. One
measure would ask for a public referendum on the issue, while a
second would open civil unions to heterosexual couples and family
members who live together.
House members opposed to the measure
proposed nine amendments, including the two defeated in the Senate.
The bill was carried in the House by
Democratic Representative Melanie George, who told lawmakers that she
believes “with ever fiber of my being that this is the right thing
to do.”
“When it came to this legislation, it
was clear that it was about rights, it was about opportunity and it
was about time,” Markell said in a statement. “I congratulate
everyone who worked so hard to make these rights real and look
forward to signing this bill into law.”
Delaware joins three states –
Illinois, Hawaii and New Jersey – which currently offer the union.
Despite widespread support in the state, a
GOP-controlled Colorado House committee killed a similar measure
earlier this month.