Marriage Equality In Two More Weeks: We Can Do This.

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed May 20, 2009 at 19:23:05 PM EDT

A lot of people worked long and hard to get to this point, and to almost win final approval of our cause today.  So, let's not lose it because of lack of patience, or due to frustration.  We can do this.

Criticizing the Governor, or pointing fingers to a few House members, does no good.  Finding a way to get more House Reps to vote FOR us in two weeks will.  

What has to happen is the Governor's requested language to protect freedom and independence of religion has to pass into statute, and that means House Bill 73 has to pass.  The good news is that we can do this -- the House by a vote of 207 to 168 said that we should have a Committee of Conference to find a way to do this. I take that as a mandate that we should keep at the job.

The Committee of Conference will be created next Wednesday when the State Senate agrees with the House on the motion.

The House and Senate next meet together in two weeks, on Wednesday, June 3rd.  The CoC will report back then, possibly with some new language in the bill.  

Between now and then, our job -- your job -- for this to succeed will be to take a careful look at those who have not yet supported us, and ask them to do so.  Since last Thursday, when Governor John Lynch announced his support for marriage equality and House Bill 436, and offered his requested new language for HB 73, we have only had four days to communicate it.  NOW we have 14 days.  We can win this when more House members hear about why they should support the Governor's language.

Today, we won two important votes, and lost one.  We lost on approval of HB 73 by a vote of 188-186.  There were 24 absent for various reasons, including at least 10 who would vote with us.  We knew today's vote would be close.  All of our head-counts showed we had about 185 votes for sure on the floor today. You can go to http://www.gencourt.state.nh.u... and see those who voted which way, and those who weren't there.

BUT, we won a critical vote on "Indefinite Postponement" of the bill.  We won that by 202 to 173.  That meant 202 House members said they did not want to end this discussion about marriage equality.

THEN, by a vote of 207 to 168, the House approved the motion to "Non-Concur and Request a Committee of Conference."  That's a tremendous message from House members that we should keep discussing this until we get it right.  Otherwise, at that point the majority could have said we've had enough of this for now.  But 207 House members are still listening, and want the dialogue.  

Our job now is to deliver a good bill, inclusive of the Governor's language, and to get the votes to approve.  That's how we get to "yes."

In the meantime, all those House and Senate members who have supported us should receive lots of calls and E-Mails thanking them for their support.  

And Governor John Lynch deserves calls and letters of thanks for coming down on the side of marriage equality.  All he has additionally done is challenge us to come up with a change in statute clearly protecting religious freedom and independence.  That's a reasonable request, and we have to deliver.  

We can do this.  Equality.  2009.  Two more weeks.