Vermont Governor Jim Douglas Vetoes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

As expected, Governor Jim Douglas vetoed Vermont's same-sex marriage bill. His full statement:

Gov. Jim Douglas Veto Statement

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Don't get me started on how angry this statement makes me. The argument that even if the bill were to become law, federal benefits would still be denied to same-sex couples in Vermont (and state benefits would be denied in other states that don't recognize such marriages) and as a result, no point to the bill, is such a cop out.

Isn't the governor responsible for only Vermont? He needs to fix his own state before being concerned about what's outside his borders. But like so many who oppose same-sex marriage, the governor hides behind children and grandchildren, in the last paragraph of his statement, to mask his prejudice. I feel badly for those children.

Tomorrow, both the Senate and House are expected to vote on overriding the veto. Though the Senate should easily do so, it is unclear whether or not the House has enough votes.

Many House Democrats have expressed their intention to vote to override the veto because of the disrespectful actions of Governor Douglas with regards to this bill. That could mean that all eleven of those who voted against the initial bills will vote to override Douglas’ veto. Opponents of same-sex marriage have been lobbying hard for the six Republicans who voted in support of the bill.

See a quick video of the governor making a statement at NG Blog about his faith and religion being the factor in his veto.

Vermont Freedom to Marry is urging people to contact Vermont representatives to urge them to override the veto.

Also, they are planning to rally at the statehouse tomorrow morning.

The veto override vote is expected at 9am EST/6am PST for the Senate and 10:30am EST/7:30am PST for the House.

Vermont's Gov. To Veto Same-Sex Marriage Bill Monday?

From Gay Rights Watch:

Gov. Jim Douglas could veto Vermont’s civil marriage bill as early as Monday night.

State lawmakers said they will try to override the governor, but no one knows if House leaders have the votes needed to do so.

On Friday, the Vermont House gave final approval to a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage starting in September. The Senate will hold a vote Tuesday morning, followed by the House.

“Everyone should have the same rights for who they want to marry,” said Moira Adams, who supports the bill. “It doesn’t matter who they want to marry. If they’re in love, they should be able to marry.”

“If he vetoes it, yes, they definitely should override him, absolutely,” said Sean Tymecki, who supports the bill. “Vermont’s always been the first — first to abolish slavery and first to have civil unions — and we should keep going with it.”

URGENT ACTION is needed to encourage the legislature to override the governor's veto. Go to Unite the Fight's earlier post on action information.

Check out this great post on Lez Get Real on the chances of a veto override.

More Work to Do in Vermont

Marty Rouse, National Field Director of the HRC, has issued a call to action to thank Vermont legislatures who shared their stories to help move the vote in favor of same-sex marriage, but to also urge them to override Governor Douglas' impending veto. Here's a section of his action alert.

Governor Jim Douglas has said he intends to veto the [Vermont same-sex marriage] bill. The bill heads into final technical passage in the House tomorrow and then returns to the state Senate for concurrence (remember last week's overwhelming 26-4 vote there). The bill should land on Governor Douglas' desk next Tuesday; he'll likely immediately veto and then the House will likely try to override on Tues, Wed, or Thurs of next week.

Since some Democrats who voted against the bill tonight may vote with their party to override (and some Rs who voted for the bill may not want to vote to override their Governor), it is not completely clear how close the votes are to override. If all 150 members show up, 100 votes are needed for override. Advocates believe they are very close to having the votes to override. We could very well be only 5 votes short of an override, and we have less than a week to get them. Vermont could very well be the first state in our nation to enact marriage equality by the legislature....or not. One vote could make the difference.

Vermont Freedom to Marry has done an amazing job in getting us to this place today. We owe Beth Robinson everything. We should all crack open a pint of Vermont maple syrup in her honor.

What can we do to help get this bill over the finish line and enacted? Email, post on Facebook, call everyone you know who lives in Vermont and urge them to call their state Representative and ask them to vote to override the Governor on the marriage bill. This really may come down to one vote. So please take action today.

You can send a note to Vermont legislators here at the HRC Action Center.

Tonight we are all Vermonters.

There's still more that you can do.

More...

You can help make the veto override happen. Scott Gortikov, Executive Director of MassEquality, tells how:

The Vermont House voted with overwhelming support (95-52) last night to pass a marriage equality bill. Now, Governor Douglas is set to veto the bill.

It is critical that we do everything we can to override the Governor's veto. We are just votes away from overriding the veto and securing marriage equality in Vermont.

Your help can make the difference. How?

Join us for an emergency phonebank to Vermont. You can phone from home using our remote calling system or you can join us at our office in Boston.

To phone from home please call Samantha at (617) 878-2325 or email SamanthaKing@MassEquality.org.

To make calls from our Boston office Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday: SIGN UP HERE.

With your help, Vermont can become the fourth state in the nation to recognize marriage equality!

To listen to the bill's amendment debates, go to VPR.net.

UPDATE: Vermont House to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Bill Today

UPDATE 12:31 PM: The debate is about to begin. Watch it live here at Burlington Press!

What will the outcome be? Will they have enough votes to squash any veto threat from Republican Governor Jim Douglas?

From The Burlington Press:

The bill is expected to pass by a wide margin, but with a promised veto from the governor, the big question is whether supporters have the 100 votes needed for an override. Predicting the outcome is complicated by the fact that some Democrats who plan to vote against the bill say they would change course and challenge the governor’s veto, meaning that even if today’s vote falls short of 100 in support, an override might be possible.

The paper also reported that state residents have complained about automated calls telling them to contact their legislatures and urge them not to vote for the bill. The paper did some investigating into the number that showed up on caller-ID. Guess what? It was the National Organization for Marriage. Shock!

This organization, which some say is a front for the LDS church, have also released ads on the radio warning residents of the fall of civilization if same-sex marriage were made legal. You can hear that ad at NG Blog.

You can hear today's House debates at VPR.net or watch the debates live on Burlington Press. It's expected to begin at 3pm EST/12pm PST.

Check out the House's session calendar below. S 115 is on page 821.

hc090402

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Many Rallies Held in Vermont Over the Weekend

According to Vermont Freedom to Marry, over a thousand protesters showed up over the weekend in towns such as Burlington, Montpelier, Rutland, White River Junction, and Brattleboro, with over three hundred showing up in Middlebury.

At Burlington's Unitarian Universalist Church, Karen Pike of Outright Vermont, the organization of which the now famous James Neiley is a part of, spoke about her pain of having her family called "inappropriate."



Elsewhere at Green Mountain College, roughly 200 protesters greeted Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and his wife when they showed up there for a maple sugaring event Saturday. The crowd watched quietly, sang or chanted while Douglas used a hand-cranked drill to tap a tree in an arboretum decorated with rainbow ribbons.

Douglas did not address the crowd or respond to the protesters. But he has been getting a lot of mail. Since his veto threat, he's received over 1,500 letters and emails, 60% of them urging him not to veto the same-sex marriage bill while 40% are supporting him. Prior to his announcement, 70% were against the bill.

"Being ahead of one's time is what brought slavery and racial discrimination to an end ... please support the Freedom to Marry bill," wrote a Putney man.

Others were supportive of the governor.

"Our children, grand children will be harmed by this bill," wrote a Milton woman. "I've seen what their teaching can do to a impressionistic teenage (sic) like my nephew, who is very confused. Please, please, please veto this bill."

Released today, an unscientific survey taken by state. Sen. William Doyle shows that 55 percent of Vermonters support gay marriage, 38 percent oppose it and 7 percent are undecided. The data is embedded below.

Doyle Poll March 2009

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New England Marriage Equality Recap

A lot has happened this past week in New England and its race towards marriage equality. So much that it's a bit confusing - which state did what? What's the status? Who voted for which bill?

It's all a bit hard to keep track. If you missed a story, you'd be in the dark. If you were busy this week and didn't hear any news stories and are now catching up, it's like trying to watch "Lost" after missing a season. "What the hell is going on?!"

And I don't blame you. I report on it, and I still have a hard time keeping track of all of it in my head.

Luckily for me, Michael James over at Change.org has sorted some out already. Well, at least from the perspective of how each state's governor is going to react to the same-sex marriage bills flying through their respective legislatures.

But so much more lies in the details.

For instance, in Vermont, 17 year old James Neiley gives an already historic testimony to Vermont's legislature to urge them to pass the same-sex marriage bill there, the senate passed it, the House intends to hear it soon, the out-of-touch Republican governor promises a veto, tries badly to explain why, so protests were held at the statehouse last Friday and more throughout this weekend against his veto threat. And that was just this past week!

In New Hampshire, another same-sex marriage bill passes the house, the Senate will soon take it up, but Gov. John Lynch hasn't voiced his stance on it either way, in the pass saying he favors civil unions.

And then there's Maine, with the Marriage bill looking promising and amazing support pouring in for it this week.

That's a whole lot of good drama in a nutshell. So you may want to prepare for this week by reviewing last week. Because Monday promises to be the start of another wild, historical ride.

ACTION: Vigils Planned in Support of Vermont's Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Vermont is on fire!

With their governor's veto threat of a state same-sex marriage bill that's already been passed by the senate and making headway through the House, the LGBT community and allies intend to hold rallies and vigils over the weekend.

Organizing the vigils, Vermont Freedom to Marry's website states, "It is absolutely critical that we have a strong showing of support at every one [of the vigils]."

Go here for a full list of all the events and information.

There's even more you can do. The organization has also constructed a list of action points. Check it out! (It's located in the left sidebar)

Today's rally at the statehouse was a success with over 300 people showing up. Here's video of the rally and press conference:



On top of all this event and action planning, Vermont Freedom to Marry has also released a new ad, urging citizens to contact the governor and tell him not to veto the bill.

UPDATE: ACTION: Urge Vermont Governor NOT to Veto Same-Sex Marriage Bill

UPDATE: Vermont Freedom to Marry is also calling for action. There will be a protest at the state house this Friday at 8:45am EST. Check it out!
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From WCAX.com:

Gov. Jim Douglas, R-Vermont, says he will veto the same-sex marriage bill if it passes the legislature. He made the public announcement this afternoon.

The Vt. Senate gave its final stamp of approval Tuesday to a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Vermont. Passage came on a voice vote with no debate, one day after the Senate gave the bill preliminary approval on a 26-4 roll call vote. Now the issue moves to the House, where the Judiciary Committee has scheduled a week's worth of testimony on the issue. It is expected to pass.

Governor Douglas has said that he opposes the bill, and this afternoon he announced he plans to veto it. He said he made the announcement to stop speculation and to focus attention on economy.

From the Burlington Press, the Governor is quoted:

"I believe our civil union law serves Vermont well ...I believe that marriage should remain between a man and a woman. ... I'm announcing that I intend to veto this legislation when it reaches my desk."

"The speculation about my decision has added to the anxiety of the moment, and further diverts attention from our most pressing issues, and I cannot allow that to happen. On such an intensely divisive issue as this, I expect all members will vote as their individual conscience dictates and in the best interest of their districts, and not as political leadership requires. That said, I'm sure that legislative leaders would not have advanced this bill if they didn't have the votes to override a veto. I will accept the outcome of their vote, either way.

"In the meantime, I'll turn my attention and energy away from this issue and back to the issue that matters most to Vermonters: Growing our economy and creating more jobs. I respect the passion and opinions of individuals on both sides of this debate, and hope that when the Legislature makes its decision, whatever the outcome may be, we can move our state forward and provide a bright future for our children and our grandchildren," he said.

It is unclear if the 100 votes to override his veto are available.

ACTION: Contact the Governor and tell him NOT to veto the bill. With most of the state congress supporting the bill, to veto it will be acting irresponsibly and abusing his power to advance his view that's held only by the minority.

Phone: 802 828-3333
Email the Governor