CT House Approves Amended Civil Union Bill

April 14, 2005

HARTFORD — The Connecticut House of Representatives late Wednesday night passed the civil unions bill, giving same-sex couples many of the rights of marriage.

The House voted 85-63. The Senate version of the bill sailed through that body on a 27-9 vote last week. In the House today, though, it faced stiffer opposition.

The House amended the bill, under prodding by conservatives and Gov. M. Jodi Rell, to add a definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.

A similar amendment was rejected by the Senate last week. The bill must now return to the Senate.

During debate on the bill Rep. Al Adinolfi (R-Cheshire) said the amendment did not change his mind about opposing the legislation.

This bill is the same as same sex-marriages except it's called civil unions, he said. If you have identical twins, one is named Mary, and one is Jane, one is Joe and one is Jim. They're still twins.

But Rep. Robert Farr (R-West Hartford) said the amended bill was a reasonable compromise. It recognizes that some people want to keep marriage between a man and woman while providing rights to same-sex couples and encouraging them to make commitments, he said.

Rell, who supports civil unions in principle on Tuesday night sought a legal opinion from Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, asking if the bill, without the marriage definition could be interpreted to allow same-sex marriage. Blumenthal said Wednesday that was emphatically, unequivocally not the case.

If the governor is concerned about authorizing same-sex marriages, she can sign this bill with a high degree of comfort, Blumenthal said. Emphatically, unequivocally, without any doubt, this law in no way would permit same-sex marriages in Connecticut.

Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee and one of the bill's chief proponents, said he expected the Senate to take up the bill in about a week. McDonald predicted the revised bill would pass in the Senate.

He called the amendment adding the definition of marriage political comfort food for people uncomfortable with gay marriage.

If that provides the political coverage they need to vote for this legislation, so be it,McDonald said.

The House also amended the bill to restrict civil unions to people ages 18 and older. There had been a provision, similar to one in the state's marriage law, that would have authorized a probate judge to allow people younger than 18 to join in a civil union.

The House gallery was filled with people from both sides, - advocates wearing bright yellow stickers with the word Equality in bold black letters, and opponents wearing white ones that said Protect Marriage.

Following the House vote Rell issued a statement saying, I am pleased that the House of Representatives passed this amendment and made it clear that while we will recognize and support civil unions, marriage in Connecticut is defined as the union of a man and a woman.

Passage of this bill will extend civil rights to all couples, no matter their gender, and send the unmistakable message that discrimination in any form is unacceptable in Connecticut.

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed that 56 percent of registered voters support civil unions. However, when it comes to actual marriage, 53 percent of those polled oppose allowing same-sex couples to marry.