Civil Unions Update – June 18, 2008

Rep. Greg Harris 

Civil Unions Update

June 18, 2008

I wanted to update you on the tremendous progress we’ve made towards passing civil union legislation in Illinois, and the final steps needed to establish civil unions under Illinois law.

Over the past few months, we have generated nearly 10,000 letters to the Illinois legislature in support of House Bill 1826, which would allow all committed couples in our state access to basic legal rights. This is  a monumental undertaking thanks to the tireless efforts of concerned volunteers in every county of Illinois.

Besides support from supportive advocacy groups and progressive organizations, we have a 9,000+ group of students organized on Facebook on college campuses across Illinois, and a grassroots network of statewide senior citizens lobbying for HB 1826. Our innovative, student-led online advocacy model and our press events highlighting the importance of civil unions to Illinois seniors have generated news all over the state. You can see dozens of newspaper, television, radio and blog stories highlighting the statewide organizing efforts, and the editorial support from major newspaper editorial boards here:http://www.civilunionsillinois.org/more.asp

Just before midnight on the last day of the Spring Session, House Bill 1826 was moved to ‘order of third reading’ in the Illinois House of Representatives. This means that the legislation cleared all procedural hurdles (including passage by the House Human Services Committee) and that I can call it for a final vote at the most appropriate time. You can see the final version (House Amendment #4) here:http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09500HB1826ham004&GA=95&SessionId=51&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=30661&DocNum=1826&GAID=9&Session=

We are just a handful of votes away from passing this legislation. In the House this means 60 votes plus a small margin in case of unexpected absences or last minute “cold feet”.  The Senate, we believe, also has the votes needed for passage, and the Governor has indicated he intends to sign the Bill when it reaches his desk.

The legislature is officially scheduled to meet next on November 12 in Veto Session. However, it is highly likely that we could be called back by the Governor at any time this summer.  Therefore, we must act now to take advantage of any opportunity that arises to call House Bill 1826 for a vote.

In order to build support for the final vote, we must continue generating messages to legislators through civilunionsillinois.org. Some legislators are still undecided, and pressure on our supporters is intense. We must continue to organize, because our Right Wing opponents are working tirelessly every day to defeat us. As a bellwether heartland state, Illinois is seen by the opposition as a battleground state in their efforts to stop nationwide acceptance of marriage equality. You may choose to send letters to legislators about civil unions importance to same-sex couples, senior couples or both.

If you know anyone who has not yet sent a message through the site, please forward them this message.  And if you are interested in meeting with your legislator about the importance of civil unions, please e-mail Chris Jessup at Chris@CivilUnionsIllinois.org so that we can work together.

It has been a tremendous experience working with so many dedicated supporters across the state on this legislation.  I thank you so much for all that you have done, and I look forward to continuing our important work towards equality!

 

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