The push to legalize marriage equality in Illinois stalled during the lame duck session of the outgoing state congress, but that doesn't mean the mission has come to an end.
Rep. Greg Harris, sponsor of the bill in the state House, told Chicago's CBS News affiliate that the bill could very well pass among the new congressional class
"We are on a fast track to passing marriage equality in the state of Illinois," he said.
Harris said a new measure on same-sex marriage is coming "very soon." He said sentiment in support of same-sex marriage has been growing quickly in recent years.
"The people of America are ahead of us," said Harris. "They are doing the right thing. They believe the right thing. The journey is short, because people want it to be short. The journey to full marriage is not going to be as long as we thought, because folks have talked to their neighbors, they've talked to their clergy people; they've decided treating every couple equally in the eyes of the law is the right thing to do."
Harris also pointed out that the younger lawmakers sworn in this week are more likely than older predecessors to support full marriage for same-sex couples.
"If you look in the House, you've got a lot of people who are younger,
and folks who are younger see this as a vote of true equality. It's
something they've grown up with, it's something their kids talk to them
about when they come home from school, it's what people believe in," he said.
