House Takes Up Global Warming

Kudos to the Speaker's Office for pushing forward legislation on Global Warming. The Global Warming Solutions Act, which passed in the Senate, will be one of the final bills to be up for debate this session. There are some sublte differences between the House and Senate versions, and not a lot of time to sign a cohesive bill, but I hope that whatever the differences that exist, they can be worked out before the end of the session. The climate can't afford to wait for Massachusetts to boldly do its part in combatting Global Warming.

Other good news from the end of this session: 1913's all but dead and it looks like Massachusetts will soon have next day registration.

Woot! 1913's All But Dead!

3 cheers for the House! They voted to repeal 1913 by overwhelming numbers. Now it just needs to be signed by the Governor, who will sign it, to become official.

The GLBT community and its allies are very greatful that the 1913 stain on our civil liberties has finally been lifted. Good riddens! Thanks to the Senate, thanks to the House, thanks to the Speaker and thanks to the people of California, who may have been the last nail in 1913's coffin. I'll pre-thank the Governor for when he signs this, too.

All that said, though, there's more work to be done. Of course, this is a great start, but I'm confident we can get a few more extremely important bills through in these last few days. Here's hoping the House finishes the job on the good bills that the Senate already passed, most especially the Global Warming Solutions Act. The climate can't afford to wait another year (or three). So let's finish this job and make a good legislative year, one of the best and most effective ever.

Update: Bay Windows has more on 1913's impending repeal.

It's been a great year for Massachusetts, but

There's more work to be done. Of course, this is music to my ears.

The state House of Representatives is likely to debate the final vote on repealing the 1913 law Tuesday, PolitickerMA.com has learned.

According to a House leadership source with knowledge of the legislative schedule, debate over the law is expected to occur when the House returns to full session Tuesday.

Given the homophobia that's still alive in today's society, repealing 1913 will send a great message that Massachusetts won't stand for hatred and fear. One of the last vestiges of legally-mandated human rights abuse against glbt people will finally be gone, so we can focus on the far more difficult problems facing our commonwealth and country.

That said, while I'm very greatful for all the effort Speaker DiMasi and most of the House has displayed this year - one of the most successful and effective in memory - there's still more work to be done in just a few short days. Most important of all the bills that could be passed before it's too late is the Global Warming Solutions Act, capping emissions and setting policy that would make Massachusetts a true leader on Global Warming. We've passed a great Energy bill in this state this year, but unfortunately it didn't cap emissions. We can't afford to wait another year to make bold plans to cut emissions.

The Senate passed the Global Warming Solutions Act already, led by Senator Pacheco, so now it's the House's turn. It would be terrible to waste this golden opportunity. Unfortunately, because we're already at the Global Warming tipping point, the climate can't wait. If DiMasi and House Democrats can get this bill a vote during the last days of the session, a vote that will likely pass, this year will truly go down as one of the most effective legislative years in modern Massachusetts history. It will be a triumphant year for those who think Government can be a part of the solution.

Please, call your State Representative, and even ring DiMasi's office. Thank them for taking up 1913, imploring them to vote the right way. But don't forget to tell them that the climate matters and can't wait, either.
--
Most of this blog is cross-posted at BlueMassGroup, with plenty of good comments on other important bills with just a few days to pass.

House Priorities?

MassPoliticker says the House just passed, by overwhelming numbers, a tax holiday in August. For the price of stimulating $3.2 million, it costs the state over $16 million. Now that's some great economic planning!

Meanwhile, there's talk that Representative Donato is stalling the repeal of 1913's laws that prevent out of state glbt couples from getting married here, something that's only awaiting the House's passage before Governor Patrick signs the bill and it becomes law. Not okay.

Other bills the House may skip? The Global Warming Solutions Act - a bill that has the numbers to pass, but just needs to get on the docket - is another bill the Senate passed and the House has yet to do so. It would reduce and cap emissions, making Massachusetts a leader in Global Warming.

If anyone has an objection to the House's priorities, find your legislators and make a phone call. Also, make sure to give the Speaker's office a ring. It's time these bills and measures have the priority in legislation they deserve. GLBT people have waited long enough on 1913, while the environment can't afford to wait anymore for Global Warming action.

MassEquality Bonus Points

Yes, yes, sign their online petition to help get the House to repeal 1913, but that's not what merits this blog.

At the end of their latest email, asking people to sign their online petition, which they'll send to your State Representative, they have a small fundraising pitch...

P.S. Please also consider supporting our efforts to repeal the 1913 law with a financial contribution! And, for anyone who contributes $191.30 or more this week, we'll send former Governor Romney a special MassEquality note card letting him know you made a donation toward repealing the 1913 law in his honor.

Wicked funny! If they were asking for $19.13 to send the note, they'd have it in a second. But, in any event, I don't think I've ever seen such a hilarious fundraising pitch. I'm glad the friendly folks at MassEquality haven't lost their touch - or sense of humor.

Show me the Money!

Beacon Hill's seeing shades of green as it weighs whether or not to repeal 1913's laws that prevent out-of-state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if glbt. A prediction: 1913's going down in flames, as it should. Why? Here's something that's tough to turn down:

Consider these numbers: An estimated 32,200 same-sex couples from elsewhere would travel to the state to get married over the next three years. That would pump $111 million into the economy and yield another $5 million in marriage license fees and sales and occupancy taxes.

There's obviously a lot to gain by embracing equality, no matter how anyone slices it.

"It's rare when doing the right thing and economic benefits go so closely hand-in-hand," said Marc Solomon, executive director of MassEquality, a coalition advocating same-sex marriage rights.

Indeed, Marc. It's certainly nice to know that the easy decisions can sometimes be the right decisions. Thankfully, this is one of those cases - which is exactly why the repeal should pass by wide margins.

And equality's on the march!

MassMarrier Has Something to Say

Listen up, folks, we have some important work to do on the equality front - so goes Mike's message.

Enough basking in the June victory. We have three legislative mountains to climb. We have a governor, lieutenant governor, house speaker and senate president who have records of supporting equal rights. They had to fight their reactive battle. Now it's time to pay some progressive dues.Our mountains come in three sizes and difficulty factors. Let's see some action on:

What are Mike's three courses of action?

Step one: repeal 1913.

They are an affront to our proclaimed love of liberty and equality here. They also insult all logic by pretending that every married same-sex couple here will remain Massachusetts residents forever. This climb should be quick and easy. This should be a one-day debate and a single vote in each house. There's no excuse not to knock this out now.

Step two: clean up the laws. We have a number of statutes still on the books from before the Goodridge decision that aren't in step with our new way of life and liberty in this state. We ought to fix them.

Step three: change the initiative process. Mike and I have slightly different views on how we'd go about changing the process, but suffice it to say we both agree that civil liberties shouldn't be able to be changed, morphed or gutted with only 25% of the state legislature's approval.

Only step three should be difficult, yet here we are more than a month later and 1913 is not only still on the books, it's moving no where fast. That has got to change.

1913: Your Time Has Come

Leading up to the big vote on civil marriage rights in Massachusetts, people left and right were telling me to focus on defeating the nasty VoteonMarriage amendment. I acquiesced, against my better judgement, and stopped beating the 1913 war drums.

Then, after we won, a lot of people were tired, exhausted - or pumped and wanting to celebrate the hard-fought victory. Again, the war drums remained silent.

Well, as Mike and I discussed on LeftAhead today, it's now time to drum the thundering percussion instruments and lead the march against one of this state's last vehicles of glbt-discrimination: the 1913 law that forbids out-of-staters from marrying here if - and only if - they're homosexual. It's as odd and peculiar as laws against spitting, or laws that say you need to bring your gun to church on Sunday. It's well past time to rid this Commonwealth of 1913 - and with a Governor, Lt. Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House all against 1913's existence, I truly don't understand - months later - why this law is still on the books.

Enough.

GLBT Future in Massachusetts

I've already talked about where I think Massachusetts needs to go next on GLBT rights, but Chris Mason got me thinking. Like me, he thinks a transgendered civil rights bill needs to be the next priority. However, I can't help but think if we keep pushing one initiative at a time, eventually the legislature or the people will get tired of it and we'll lose our initiative.

So, I came to a conclusion: what the movement needs is one last big push for GLBT rights in Massachusetts. Over the course of this summer, we should examine just what's needed and then package a series of bills we could advertise as the last steps to full equality. It would be relatively easy to get the public on board and get the necessary publicity.

If we do things one at a time, maybe we'll get 1913 repealed. Maybe we'll get a transgendered basic civil rights bill. But what about a transgendered hate crimes bill? What about a dozen things I can't think of off the top of my head? What will happen is that eventually the last few important steps will be forgotten and left behind and the people in the GLBTQ community who need help the most won't get it.

I don't think we can stand for that. So, let's come up with a package of bills instead and push them as a whole. We should push them as hard as we pushed for marriage equality itself. Ultimately, we're talking about issues so important that we can't afford to leave anyone behind.

All I Can Say is Wow... Bay Windows on Gay Rights

Just read this. It's one of the most amazing thing I've ever read, Pulitzer worthy as far as I'm concerned. I'm not even going to quote from it, because I want to quote the entire thing... but would have to limit it to 3 paragraphs (because more violates copyright laws) and there's no way to fairly do that. The Editor of Bay Windows, Susan Ryan-Vollmar, basically describes everything that's gone on in terms of the last few ConCons and what needs to happen to defeat the upcoming one. She also apologizes on behalf of Bay Windows for getting it wrong last year, saying the ban amendment was defeated... and offers a stunner, that the SJC case saying the legislature should vote on marriage wasn't the real reason why marriage advocates lost last year. Furthermore, she made the critical point that I've been trying to push for months now: with all this good-will and support on marriage equality, why hasn't 1913 been defeated?

The best news is Susan Ryan-Vollmar is the tentative guest on next week's LeftAhead - which THRILLS me. Now, I have a lot to digest and prepare for that very exciting engagement. Remember, LeftAhead episodes (Tuesday nights at 7:30) are live - and we can take callers, so if anyone is interested in dropping questions or calling in, send me an email and we can probably figure it out. We have a tough fight ahead to protect the most basic of human rights in Massachusetts and there are few people more equipped to discuss everything and attuned to what's going on than Susan Ryan-Vollmar.

Let's Do It, Senator Murray!

From today's Globe:

The newly elected president of the state Senate said she favors repealing a law that prevents most same-sex couples from other states from getting married here, saying she did not share former governor Mitt Romney's fear that Massachusetts would become a gay marriage mecca.

Come on, Senator, let's do it! Sadly, it looks as though some pro-equality organizations may be advocating against it for some crazy reason. Here's what Lisa Wangsness had to say about that,

Proponents of gay marriage are not currently lobbying for repeal because they fear it could stir up antigay sentiment and hurt their chances of defeating the amendment.

What crap. However, I'd like to remind Ms. Wangsness that "propents" extend far beyond the political mastery of Marc Solomon; every glbt-friendly person I know thinks out-of-state marriage is a really big deal. I've advocated many times that repealing that bill would be tremendously helpful to our side. With the recent news that the Governor made on this issue - and now Senator Murray's public stance, it's time to get the job done.

Lastly, Senator Murray alerted Globe readers to some of the key information.

Murray said the Constitutional Convention, scheduled for May 9, will probably be postponed because the Senate will be focused on the budget then. She said she planned to meet with people on both sides of the gay marriage question this week, but her personal position on gay marriage is firm.

Thankfully, it looks like there won't be a ConCon in May. Also, we learn from the article that Senator Barrios got a repeal to 1913 passed through the Senate, but that - shocker of all shockers - Finneran's House blocked it. If anyone wants our elected leaders to continue to think that marriage equality supporters don't want a repeal of 1913, do nothing. Otherwise, it's time to call your rep and make sure they have the right facts: we want marriage equality and we want it now.

Deval's GLBT Support Grows

The national glbt blogosphere is abuzz over Governor Patrick's strong support for marriage equality. Towleroad, which is probably the most-trafficked glbt blog, wrote up a big story about Patrick today. Queerty, another fairly popular glbt blog, had more to say.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has made it his mission to take on Mitt Romney's homo-hating marriage laws. The Democrat ordered the court to validate 26 out-of-state gay marriages, thus reversing Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's dastardly plot to deny the committed queers' dreams.

Hey, Deval, While You're at It

why don't you just stop enforcing 1913? You're the Governor and thus in charge of the executive office. Let's just not pay any attention to that 1913 boogeyman, just like we ignore the whole law that says men have to bring guns to church on Sunday. You have the power to tell cities and towns to stop bugging the people asking for wedding marriages, so let's do it. Then, let's get 1913 off the books once and for all.

Update:

Here's some key points in the Globe, sadly buried.

Each of the 26 couples at issue was married just after May 17, 2004, the date gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts. All obtained marriage licenses in one of four communities -- Provincetown, Worcester, Springfield, and Somerville -- where clerks defied Romney's order not to issue marriage licenses to out-of-state gay couples.

Romney obtained those marriage records from the clerks and stopped the state from processing them, which meant the state had no record of the marriages. The marriages were recorded at the local level, however.

Deval's made a very strong statement in favor of equality, so kudos to him. Now, it's time to go all the way... and ask clerks in towns and cities to stop harassing out of state same-sex couples. If they want to get married in Massachusetts, let's welcome them to it.