New legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey passed a critical vote Monday. The Senate Judiciary committee voted 7 to 6 to advance the same-sex marriage legislation to a vote before the full Senate.
Incoming New Jersey Governor, Chris Christies, who beat out Gov. Jon Corzine in last month’s election, has promised to veto the bill if it comes across his desk while he is in office. Therefore, Democrats are in a hurry to push the bill through the Senate and the state Assembly before current Gov. Jon Corzine leaves office on Jan. 19.
The full vote, scheduled for Thursday, is likely to be quite close. Although Democrats, who are largely in favor of the measure, hold a 23-17 majority, the recent defeat of similar legislation in Maine and New York has given many pause.
If the bill is passed into law, New Jersey will be the sixth state to legally recognize same-sex marriage.
If you are a citizen of New Jersey, be sure to contact your Senators before Thursday to ensure that this bill advances no further and that same-sex marriage is not covertly passed into law in Gov. Corzine’s final hours.