The Illinois House Executive Committee on Tuesday evening OKed and advanced a bill that would bring legal same-sex marriage to the land of Lincoln.
In a vote of 6-5, the bill was approved and will next head to a full House vote, the final remaining obstacle to passage as Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has already vowed to sign the measure into law.
Committee members voted along party lines -- with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed -- with one exception: Democratic state Rep. Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr., who voted against the bill, the Windy City Times notes. Fellow Democratic Rep. Luis Arroyo said during the hearing that, though he OKed the bill Tuesday to help get it out of committee, he plans to oppose it in the full House on account of his constituents' religious objections.
The bill -- titled the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, Senate Bill 10 -- was previously approved by the state Senate in a historic Valentine's Day vote. One Republican senator joined 33 Democrats in approving the bill.
A firm date has not yet been set for a full House vote on the proposal, but proponents of the legislation previously indicated that a vote could take place on March 6 or 7.
If the bill achieves the 60 votes needed for passage in the House, which is generally considered to be more conservative than the Senate, it would next head to Gov. Quinn's desk for his signature.
