[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/colorado-house-passes-civil-union-act\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/colorado-house-passes-civil-union-act\/","headline":"Colorado House Passes Civil Union Act","name":"Colorado House Passes Civil Union Act","description":"By Jason Carson Wilson Republican Colorado state Rep. B.J. Nikkel Marriage equality could be headed to Colorado, thanks to a Republican-controlled state House, Instinct Magazine...","datePublished":"2012-05-07","dateModified":"2021-07-08","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/republican-colorado-representative-b.j-nikkel-marriage-equality.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/republican-colorado-representative-b.j-nikkel-marriage-equality.jpg","height":480,"width":336},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/colorado-house-passes-civil-union-act\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":309,"articleBody":" By Jason Carson Wilson Republican Colorado state Rep. B.J. NikkelMarriage equality could be headed to Colorado, thanks to a Republican-controlled state House, Instinct Magazine reports. The state\u2019s House Judiciary Committee passed the Civil Union Act.Openly gay state Sen. Pat Steadman and Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino-sponsored Senate Bill 2, passed by a 6-5 vote following hours of testimony from gay and lesbian couples. One Colorado, a gay rights organization, stressed their voices\u2019 importance to the process on its website. \u201cOur stories, our families, and our community won over [state Rep.] B.J.  Nikkel. And her vote underscores an incredible evolution in the  Republican Party,\u201d it reads.Although vote fell along party lines, Nikkel, a Republican, cast the deciding ballot. She said she wanted the legislation to receive a fair vote by the entire House.\u201cI\u2019ve said all along that I would make sure that we would give the bill a fair hearing. It\u2019s a good thing for all of my colleagues to have the opportunity to have a say on this. They represent all of Colorado and I believe that the correct way to do this is through the representative form of government that we have right here,\u201d Nikkel said.The legislation\u2019s next imminent hurdles are House Finance and House Appropriations hearings. Co-sponsor Ferradino was obviously pleased by the turn of events.\u201cToday was a huge step forward, where we saw that in this chamber, in this House, we now can say we have bipartisan support,\u201d Ferradino said.One Colorado Executive Director Brad Clark praised the committee\u2019s move, heaping most praise on Nikkel.\u201cToday\u2019s bipartisan vote is a tremendous victory for gay and lesbian couples across the state. We applaud Rep. Nikkel\u2019s courageous vote for all families. She is the new face of the Republican Party,\u201d Clark said.\u00a0Photo: weldgop.com"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Colorado House Passes Civil Union Act","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/colorado-house-passes-civil-union-act\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]