Washington State House Judiciary Committee Approves Legislation That Would Allow Same Sex Marriage Performed Elsewhere To Be Recognized; Separate Bill To Legalize Same Sex Marriage Fails To Get Out Of Committee

The Kitsap Sun reports that the Washington State House Judiciary Committee Thursday approved legislation that would see the state recognize same sex marriages performed elsewhere. Seven Democrats on the committee voted for the bill and six Republicans voted against it. The bill now moves to the House floor. It has 55 co-sponsors, enough for a majority in a floor vote. The ranking Republican on the judiciary committee, Rep. Jay Rodne of North Bend, criticized the measure, saying "I think we ought to have a robust, transparent debate, vote on our consciences, and go home and face our constituents.” There is no similar bill in the Senate. A separate bill, which would have legalized same sex marriage in Washington, died Thursday when it was not passed out of committee. Thursday was the deadline for any non-budget related bill to be approved by a committee. Forty-three representatives co-sponsored the same sex marriage legalization bill. Same-sex marriages are legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and the Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon. New York, Rhode Island and Maryland recognize same sex marriages, but have not legalized performing them.