The Illinois Senate Executive Committee has passed the marriage equality bill by a vote of 8-5 setting the stage for a full Senate vote in the near future..
Said Rick Garcia, Director of the Equal Marriage Illinois Project and Senior Policy Advisor of The Civil Rights Agenda: "The Senate Committee did the right thing today and we look forward to the full Senate following their lead. For the first time in Illinois history, we had a vote on the recognition of same-sex marriages, and we won. If everyone calls their senator, we will continue to win. It is now time for marriage equality advocates to contact their Senators immediately and urge them to vote yes on this legislation."
It's unclear when a full Senate vote would take place. The Senate will have to be called back for a special session on Jan. 8 if they are take up marriage equality before Jan. 9, the close of the lame duck session.