Source: Belmont Citizen Herald, Boston Herald
A vote last week in the Massachusetts Senate to repeal a 95-year-old law that has been used to block out-of-state gay couples from marrying in Massachusetts prompted celebration from gay rights supporters and scorn from opponents, but a similar vote in the House is facing some resistance according to a report by State House News Service.
With time to take up controversial matters in the 2007-2008 legislative session running short and lawmakers gearing up for reelection campaigns, some House members worry the emotionally charged issue could fail to emerge in time. Formal sessions of the Legislature end on July 31.
Asked on Monday afternoon about the prospect of the bill passing, Gov. Deval Patrick said, "I'd like it to, but we're running out of time. Time is very, very short."
Some Democratic lawmakers facing challengers in the fall elections are lashing out at House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi for forcing a vote on what they consider a hot-button bill, reports Boston Herald columnist Hillary Chalbot.
"He has no concern for the members," a legislator, who requested anonymity, told the columnist. "This is stuff we should be dealing with in the first year (of the session). It’s a lose-lose for anyone facing a challenger."
Another angry Democrat compared DiMasi unfavorably to his predecessor, former House Speaker Thomas Finneran, saying the controversial vote could alienate support for the embattled North End Democrat.
Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Byron Rushing, a backer of the repeal, said "a few reps" may have concerns about taking the bill up. "The question is how many," he said.
Rushing said concern over the bill peaked several months ago, with members worried about injecting same-sex marriage into the national conversation during a presidential election cycle. That concern dissipated, he said, when California legalized same-sex marriage in May, ensuring that the issue would come up no matter what.
Rushing noted that few Democrats were facing stiff election challenges, and that for many of them, supporting the repeal would be a boon.
The issue drew national media coverage last week as proponents touted the bill as the last measure toward equal marriage in Massachusetts and opponents charged that the repeal would force the Bay State’s marriage policy upon other states, leading to numerous lawsuits.
"The one concern that I’ve heard amongst my colleagues is the timing of this during the course of an election year," Rep. Robert Spellane, D-Worcester, who filed the House version of the bill, told State House News Service.
A schedule of potential House activity this week, distributed Friday by Speaker Salvatore DiMasi's office, did not include action on the 1913 law repeal, although the agenda is fluid.
Kris Mineau, executive director of the bill's most vocal opponent, the Massachusetts Family Institute, said opposition in the House could cloud the bill’s chances.
"There’s no doubt that the resistance in the House to this bill is much stronger than in the Senate," he said. "It's going to be interesting how this plays out this week."
Marc Solomon, executive director of MassEquality, also said the repeal does not present lawmakers with a significant campaign decision.
"This is simply cleanup work. It's the last part of marriage discrimination toward same-sex couples in our laws," he said. "I think the idea that somehow this would be an election issue, I think that’s been disproven. I would be extremely surprised ... given the leadership of the big three, if they don't take action on this."
Similarly, Spellane said lawmakers’ constituents already know where their elected officials stand on same-sex marriage.
"I don't believe, for the most part, that constituents vote on one particular issue," he said. "There’s no better timing to do this than right now...We need to repeal this thing."
The repeal, which had remained mired in committee for much of the two-year session, suddenly emerged earlier this month. Speaker DiMasi has pledged his support for passing the measure this session and Gov. Deval Patrick has already promised to sign the bill.
Full article: Out-of-state marriage law faces obstacles to repeal in House | Belmont Citizen-Herald (State House News Service)
Pols mad DiMasi is forcing vote on gay marriage bill | Boston Herald