In a landslide vote, 51-19, the Rhode Island House of Representatives sent the marriage equality bill one step further toward becoming a law on Thursday.
It comes as no surprise that the bill made it through the House unscathed. When the legislation was introduced earlier this month, 40 members of the 75-member House immediately signed on as co-sponsors, including Democratic House Speaker Gordon Fox, who, after being elected, vowed to bring the issue of equality to the House floor before the end of the month.
“It is time,” Fox, said in a statement. “We can no longer be the only New England state without marriage equality. Rhode Island must be next in enacting this basic civil right to marry the one you love.”
The legislation now heads to the Senate, where a much more politically diverse crowd awaits to vote, including Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed who opposes the bill.
Photo: golocalprov.com
