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Bill to allow same-sex unions introduced
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Bill to allow same-sex unions introduced
The next round of the perennial battle over same-sex marriage in Minnesota was officially joined on Thursday. A bill that would define marriage as a civil contract between "two persons," rather than a man and a woman, was introduced in the state Senate, sponsored by five DFL members.
It has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but no hearings have been scheduled.
The bill would strike language from state law that specifically prohibits marriage by persons of the same sex, along with language that refuses to recognize same-sex marriages from another state or country.
Debate over the bill is likely to be fierce if the recent track record in the Legislature is any guide. Between 2004 and 2006, gay marriage opponents proposed bills to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have decreed marriage is a union of a man and a woman only. The bills didn't get out of the Legislature, but opponents said last year they would try again in 2009. So far, gay rights advocates are seizing the offensive this year, after trying and failing to pass a bill in 2008.
In an apparent attempt to soften some opposition, the new bill states that nothing in it "mean[s] the state of Minnesota condones homosexuality or bisexuality or any equivalent lifestyle," or allows it to be promoted as such in the state's public schools.
Currently, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only states where same-sex marriage is legal.
State's share of transit funding is $94 millionThe Obama administration announced Thursday that it will make $94 million available in federal stimulus money for public transportation projects in Minnesota.
The money was part of $8.4 billion that has been set for public transportation nationwide. The administration didn't announce a specific list of projects that the money would finance.
Minnesota is receiving more of the cash than any other state in the Upper Midwest. Wisconsin will receive $81.6 million, Iowa $36.4 million, South Dakota $11.2 million and North Dakota $10.9 million.
BOB VON STERNBERG
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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