Delaware Senate Oks Civil Unions
By a vote of 13-6, with two absent, the Delaware Senate passed and sent to the House SB 30, the bill granting civil union rights to same-sex Delawareans. Eleven votes were needed for passage.
After two hours of debate and after defeating two amendments designed to kill the bill, and a motion to table, senators went on record in support of civil rights for LGBT citizens.
Voting for the bill were 12 Democrats (Senators Patti Blevins, George Bunting, Brian Bushweller, Anthony Deluca, Bethany Hall-Long, Margaret Rose Henry, Mike Katz, Robert Marshall, David McBride Harris McDowell, Karen Peterson, and prime sponsor Dave Sokola).One Republican, Lianne Sorenson supported the bill.
Voting against were Democrats Robert Venables and Bruce Ennis and Republicans Colin Bonini, Joe Booth, David Lawson, and Gary Simpson. Republicans Cathy Cloutier and Dori Connor, both expected to have supported the bill, were out of state on family business.
SB 30 will be heard by the House Administration Committee on Wednesday April 13th at about 2PM. If passed by the committee, a House floor debate and vote is expected the next day. While we believe we have the votes to pass the House, the opposition is not finished spreading lies about the meaning of the bill and threatening defeat for supportive legislators. Calls of encouragement to your state representatives would be helpful. At least one senator, Bruce Ennis, stated on the floor that he was supportive of equal rights but would vote against the bill because that is what the majority of his district wanted.
