NH House Passes Gay Marriage

According to the Union Leader gay marriage just passed the NH house with a narrow margin. http://unionleader.com/article…

The final vote on HB 556 was 186-179, and came after nearly three hours of debate.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

Those who pushed for passage of the bill said it was a matter of equal rights and that it will bring an end to discrimination against homosexuals. They said the state’s civil unions law, passed in 2007, is not the equivalent of marriage.

HB 436 now moves on to the State Senate where democrats enjoy a 14-9 (one vacancy) majority. My guess is this bill is headed to the Governor’s desk. Democratic Governor John Lynch has come out in the past against gay marriage, so he probably won’t sign the bill. But he could allow the bill to become law without his signature.