Illinois gay marriage bill being debated in Illinois House

The title of this post comes from this article reporting that the Illinois House is considering a bill that would legalize gay marriage. Democrats have a 71 to 47 member majority in the Illinois House, which ought to make the bill's supporters  quite happy--the bill needs 60 votes to pass.

Illinois voters also seem to support gay marriage. One recent poll found that 52 percent of those polled said they support legalizing gay marriage while just 29 percent said they opposed it. This support apparently extends into strong Republican districts as well.

Here's how the article begins:

Illinois House lawmakers are debating a bill today to legalize gay marriage in Illinois.

If approved, Illinois would become the 15th state to allow same-sex unions.

The debate follows months of intense lobbying by gay rights advocates who were bitterly disappointed with the proposal stalled during the spring legislative session. Supporters contend the measure is about creating a society with equal rights for all, while faith-based opponents argue gay marriage is immoral and say the bill doesn’t do enough to protect their religious freedoms.

The bill will need 60 votes to pass the Illinois House. A test vote involving an amendment to the bill got 59 votes this afternoon. The vote is expected to be close.