g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 1 ENVER -- Chants of "shame on you" from gay rights supporters thundered
through the Colorado House on Tuesday night after Republican House Speaker
Frank McNulty said legislation to allow civil unions won't get a vote.
McNulty told reporters that lawmakers had reached an impasse and civil
unions would die along with several other bills, including an overhaul of
school discipline policies and setting a blood-level marijuana limit for
drivers.
"We have reached an impasse," McNulty said. "It is unfortunate that there
will be items that will not receive consideration by the House tonight
because of this impasse."
Colorado's debate came as gay rights are in the national spotlight.
North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday defining
marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, and also barring civil
unions. Also, Vice President Joe Biden said over the weekend that he was "
absolutely comfortable" with same-sex married couples getting the same
rights at heterosexual married couples.
Colorado's bill had cleared a key hurdle Tuesday when Republican Rep. Cheri
Gerou joined Democrats to advance the measure out of its final committee for
consideration by the full chamber.
"This isn't a partisan conversation," Gerou said. "This is, in my mind, this
is a basic human rights conversation."
Republicans in two other House committees had also joined Democrats.
Supporters gathered at a rally outside the Capitol earlier Tuesday to
pressure the GOP to take action on the bill, chanting "Let them vote!" to
Republican lawmakers who control the House.
Gay rights advocates had been nervous that Republican opponents would use
procedural tactics to run out the clock and kill the bill.
Tuesday night's announcement that the bill wouldn't get a vote came hours
after Democrats sought to block a GOP filibuster on civil unions.
Republicans control the House on a 33-32 margin but enough members of their
party supported the legislation to pass it.
Democrats used a procedural move to try to stop debate on other bills when
it became clear Republicans were talking at length about other measures,
delaying any action on civil unions.
Republicans responded by abruptly stopping floor work.
The bill needed to have an initial vote of the full House before midnight
Tuesday or else the proposal would die. That's because the Legislature
adjourns Wednesday, so there wouldn't be time for a final vote.
Earlier, Democratic Rep. Ferrandino, his party's leader in the House, told
the House's third-ranking Republican, Rep. Mark Waller, "We're willing to
work with you to make sure every bill gets an up or down vote tonight."
The Senate had already approved the bill, and Democratic Gov. John
Hickenlooper supported it.
After the announcement that civil unions legislation was dead this year,
Ferrandino, a gay lawmaker sponsoring the bill, tried to calm down observers
who began chanting, including one who said to McNulty, "All we ask is you
give us a chance."
More than a dozen states allow either gay marriage or civil unions. Hawaii
and Delaware began allowing civil unions this year.
McNulty, who opposes the plan, said earlier that Democrats intentionally
held the bill to force a standoff.
"We all know that it's a heated public policy issue to begin with and with
the Senate Democrats sitting on it for 110 days, they've really turned it
into a manufactured crisis here at the end of session," he said.
Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman, a gay lawmaker sponsoring the bill, said House
Republicans specifically asked Senate Democrats to hold the civil unions
bill until after GOP assemblies April 14, to avoid attracting primary
opponents.
"They wanted to cower and hide until after their nominating assemblies. We
were asked to wait, and that weekend in April was specifically cited,"
Steadman said.
___ | D**S
发帖数: 24887 | 2 The GOP today is just a bunch of politicians who totally lost their vision
and wisdom because their core is hijacked by the low-IQ high-bullsh*t so-
called Tea Party. Unless they evolve dramatically as a party they are going
down the historical drain not too far from now. | p****u
发帖数: 2596 | 3 This is really really a shame for the GOP leadership.
GOP will lose its majority in Nov Election, and the bill will pass next year
.
ALso, the governor can possibly can call for a special session to pass this
bill this year too.
【在 g********d 的大作中提到】
: ENVER -- Chants of "shame on you" from gay rights supporters thundered
: through the Colorado House on Tuesday night after Republican House Speaker
: Frank McNulty said legislation to allow civil unions won't get a vote.
: McNulty told reporters that lawmakers had reached an impasse and civil
: unions would die along with several other bills, including an overhaul of
: school discipline policies and setting a blood-level marijuana limit for
: drivers.
: "We have reached an impasse," McNulty said. "It is unfortunate that there
: will be items that will not receive consideration by the House tonight
: because of this impasse."
| D**S
发帖数: 24887 | 4 Due to the meddling of Tea Partiers, the GOP's leadership at all levels is
in disarray now. It is like a human being under the constant attack of
bipolar personality and hardly ever able to make a sound decision.
year
this
【在 p****u 的大作中提到】
: This is really really a shame for the GOP leadership.
: GOP will lose its majority in Nov Election, and the bill will pass next year
: .
: ALso, the governor can possibly can call for a special session to pass this
: bill this year too.
|
|
