JURIST - Paper Chase: DC council again votes to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere

[JURIST] The Council of the District of Columbia [official website] voted Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages [JURIST news archive] performed outside of Washington, DC. The bill, proposed by DC Councilman Phil Mendelson [official website], was approved by a 12-1 vote. The dissenting vote was cast by Councilman Marion Barry [official website]. The legislation was given preliminary approval [JURIST report] last month. The measure must now be approved by the mayor and then by Congress under the Home Rule Act [text, PDF].

The DC Council's vote comes on the same day that the Maine House of Representatives [official website] approved [JURIST report] a bill [text] that would allow same-sex marriage in the state. The vote follows last week's approval by the Maine Senate [JURIST report]. Also last week, the New Hampshire Senate [official website] voted 13-11 to approve [JURIST report] a bill [HB 436 text] permitting same-sex marriage. The New Hampshire House of Representatives [official website] approved the bill [JURIST report] in March by a vote of 186-179. The two differing versions of the bill must now be reconciled. Last month, Vermont became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage and the first to do so through a vote of the legislature, joining Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa [JURIST reports].

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