Senate

The Senate “Gang of Eight” immigration reform bill survived perhaps its toughest challenge late in the day, as the Senate Judiciary Committee refused to approve an amendment that would have allowed gays and lesbians to sponsor their partners for immigration in the same way married heterosexual couples would be able to do under the proposed legislation.

The amendment by Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was introduced and then withdrawn after he saw that his amendment could potentially kill the bill.

Republican members of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” that co-wrote the immigration bill said they could not countenance the amendment and would walk away from the entire legislation if passed. Read more »

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy shrugged off concerns that offering rights to gay immigrants will kill the sweeping immigration bill as his committee prepares to mark up the legislation on Thursday.

“On this particular issue, you know, at some point we’re going to have to face it, and we have to decide when is the best time to face it,” Leahy told POLITICO in a wide-ranging interview. “You can’t go into a state like mine or — it will be now 11 or 12 states and the District of Columbia — where same-sex marriage is legal, and say to this couple, ‘OK, we can help you with the immigration matter.’ Turn to another couple equally legally married and say, ‘Oh, we have to discriminate against you.’” Read more »

Phone banks, an army of volunteers and alliances with organized labor, business leaders and religious clergy propelled gay marriage to victory in Rhode Island this week, a savvy and coordinated strategy that relied on growing public support and old-fashioned bare-knuckle politics.

Gay marriage legislation had failed every year in Rhode Island since 1997, leaving the heavily Catholic state the lone holdout in New England as the five other states changed their marriage laws. That’s soon set to change. The state Senate voted Wednesday to allow gay marriage, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee plans to sign the bill into law following a final, procedural vote in the House next week. Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would legalize marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Prior to the vote, state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D) stood in favor of the measure to declare, “It’s a new day in the state of Illinois.”

The bill passed by a vote of 34 in favor, 21 opposed.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), called it “a vote for the history books.”

“We have the opportunity today to welcome all families in Illinois as equally valued,” she said. Read more »