California's gay marriage bill (AB 19--The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act) failed to pass the Assembly in its first floor vote yesterday (35-37) and in a reconsideration early Thursday morning it failed again (37-35). It needs 41 votes in the 80 member California State Assembly, which contains 48 Democrats (1 of whom is in the hospital with a brain tumor--though he said he woud vote for the bill if he could). In order to remain alive, the bill must pass the Assembly before adjournment on Friday June 3. Contact Equality California today to find out how you can assist in ending marriae discrimination in California!
UPDATE: The Compassionate Choices Act (AB 654) was catapulted into the more liberal State Senate through a legislative maneuver called a "gut and amend" which bypasses tomorrow's June 3 crossover deadline which AB 19 still faces. It's not immediately clear to me why Speaker Fabian Nunez and other Democratic Asembly leaders (who are co-sponsors) of Leno's marriage bill don't try the same maneuver to keep the marriage bill alive. Perhaps one can not do this to a bill once it has had a floor vote in one house?
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