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Same Sex Marriage In Rhode Island

Friday, January 25, 2013

House Approves Same-sex Marriage

The proposal to guarantee marriage rights to all Rhode Islanders now moves onto the state Senate.

Rhode Island moved one step closer to marriage equality Thursday as the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted 51 to 19 today to allow same-sex couples to marry in the state, the Legislature announced in a release. Rep. Arthur Handy, who has introduced the bill for each of the last 11 years, said the proposal is about justice and equity for same-sex couples. “Obviously, this issue is about fairness and allowing all Rhode Islanders to have equal access to the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage, but marriage is about so much more than legal protections," Handy said in a release. "My wife and I have been married since 1997, and as we’ve worked together to raise our son, the value of having a committed, strong family has …

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Harvey Wallbanger

3:15 pm on Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Anyone can form a committed relationship. If more relationships are happening than marriage, then marriage is on the decline. The CDC information came from the CDC website. Yes, anyone can get a disease. I wasn't talking about that but thank you for trying to avoid the real problem.   more ›

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes Committee Unanimously

The bill is headed to the full House of Representatives on Thursday.

STATE HOUSE – The House Judiciary Committee today voted unanimously to recommend passage of legislation to allow same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, sending the bill to the full House of Representatives. A vote is expected Thursday in the House, where 42 of the 75 members signed on as sponsors of the bill, including House Speaker Gordon D. Fox, who pledged to make its passage a priority this year. Today’s vote marks the first time the bill has been voted out of a committee in either of Rhode Island’s legislative chambers, paving the way for what will also be the first floor vote by either of the chambers. The legislation has been introduced annually in some form since 1997. Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Dist. 18, Cranston), who has been the bill’s …

Dan Johnson

12:08 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013

It should be obvious requiring residents to cross the state line so they may have a legal marriage at home is irrational and counter productive. Why not let them have their wedding in their own community, and spend those wedding bucks at home, rather than in state next door. The only excuse for denial of legal equality relies on an irrational prejudice supported by nothing more than a few …   more ›

Vote Set for Tuesday on Same-Sex Marriage

The state House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on the controversial measure for 3 pm on Jan. 22.

A vote by the state House Judiciary committee on a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island is scheduled for a vote this afternoon at 3 p.m., the General Assembly Press Bureau announced. The "Equal Access to Marriage" bill — submitted in the House by Cranston Rep. Arthur Handy and co-sponsored by Rep. Kenneth A. Marshall (D-Dist. 68, Bristol, Warren) — would make Rhode Island the last state in New England to allow same-sex marriages, and would recognize any civil unions as marriages. According to a release from the General Assembly Press Bureau, "no further testimony will be taken at this hearing." The agenda for the hearing is attached to this article. What's your take? Is it about time the government stops discriminating against …

Dan Johnson

12:11 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013

It should be obvious requiring residents to cross the state line so they may have a legal marriage at home is irrational, counter productive, and mean spirited. Why not let them have their wedding in their own community, and spend those wedding bucks at home, rather than in state next door. The only excuse for denial of legal equality relies on an irrational prejudice supported by nothing more …   more ›

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