Rhode Island: Early this month, I wrote about how marriage equality bills had been introduced in Rhode Island's House and Senate. It was noted that passage was likely to occur in Rhode Island's House, but less likely in its Senate. Earlier today, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced a marriage equality bill. The full House is expected to take up the bill in two days.
New Mexico: State Representative Brian Egolf (D) has introduced a resolution in New Mexico that would allow voters to vote on same-sex marriages:
House Joint Resolution 3 states: “The issuance of a marriage license shall not be denied on the basis that the sex of both applicants is the same. No church or religious institution shall be required to perform a marriage ceremony or recognize a marriage for religious purposes that conflicts with the church's or religious institution's beliefs.”According to a Public Policy Polling survey, 67% of New Mexico voters support marriage or civil union rights for gay and lesbian couples and 45% of those same respondents believe that same-sex marriage should be equal. That particular poll occurred slightly over a year ago. However, support of marriage equality had increased by 8% from the previous six months so it's very possible that support continues to remain high for equal recognition of New Mexico's gay and lesbian families.