4 Out in the Mountains February 2000 Marriage Issue Takes Center Stage at the Statehouse BY BARBARA DOZETOS n January 4, the first Qday of the 2000 leg- islative session, state representatives on the House Judiciary Committee met to discuss how to comply with the recent Vermont Supreme Court decision. A domestic partnership bill sponsored by Senator Vincent Illuzzi of Orleans was intro- duced later that week, but will likely receive little play. The leadership of the General Assembly has agreed to let the House bear primary responsi- bility for conducting hearings and research, taking testimony, and drafting a bill for consider- ation initial consideration. The House Judiciary Committee led off in this process. J “In view of the intense feel- ings and concerns that will be raised by and in our work on Baker v. State,” said committee chairman Tom Little, “my goal is to not only keep the Committee’s ‘eye’ on the Constitutional principles, but also to build consensus and avoid divisiveness within the General Assembly and throughout the state.” In accordance with the Court’s instruction to deal with the inequality “in a timely fashion,” Little produced an “ambitious proposal” to have a bill ready to present to the full House by February 23. Committee member Bill Mackinnon agreed with the need to expedite the bill. ‘.‘If Vermonters’ civil rights are hanging in the breeze, we shouldn’t leave here this spring until we’ve taken care of it,” said Mackinnon. Testimony before the com- mittee began on January 11 Events Activities Advocacy Education Networking Buyer's Co-Op Vermont People With AIDS Coalition P.O. Box 11 Montpelier, VT 05601-0011 in Vermont 800-698-8792 or 802-229-5754 with Susan Murray and Beth Robinson, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case. The two stressed that the issue before the legislature is civil, not religious, marriage and that an alternative system of benefits seemingly parallel to marriage would not pass Constitutional muster. Several others, including law profes- sors from Vermont Law School, have offered corrobo- rating testimony. Other witnesses have included representatives from the Attorney General’s ofiice, whose job it will be to defend whatever legislation is pro- duced on this issue. Although they offered no opinion on what action should be taken, Chief Assistant Attorney General Bill Grifiin did say that he believes theimarriage option would be much easier to defend legally. Representatives of the Catholic Diocese of Vermont, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, and Take it to the People encouraged the committee to consider a range of options, including ignoring the Court’s ruling completely and beginning the process of amending the state’s constitu- tion. Representative Bill Lippert of Hinesburg, the openly gay vice-chair of the committee, said he has “tried to find a bal- ance between confronting and exposing witnesses who are clearly motivated by religious prejudice or positions of C m E ._ <1) (I) C cu '0 ._ o T o .. o .: o. Vermonters hoping to testify on the-issue of gay marriage lined up to offertheir two-minutes’ worth at the pub- Iic hearing on January 25 S Cl m Cl F Foundation of Vermont Rep. Bill Lippert of Hinesburg is the Vice-Chair of the committee currently dealing with the mar- riage issue. Now Accepting Mmimwy 2000 Grant Applications The dream of starting your 0 Letters of intent due March 1 - Final grant proposals due May 5 0 Grant awards announced in June own business... Our Missio A The Samara Founda fan Vermont is a charitable foundation whose mission is to support and strengthen Vermont's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities today and build an endowment for tomorrow. A How long have you been thinking about it? Accepting applications for Start Up, a hands-,.on, business planning course. Begins February 4th. Space Limited! Grants available for single parents and displaced homemakers. Ask about Working Solutions, our specialized workshops for business owners. \\ Nl|‘l|> WUMEll S SMALL BUSINESS PHOGlllllll l Women's Small Business Program 846-7160; wsbp@charity.trinityvt.edu Celebrating Ten Years of Entrepreneurial Success! arat undatljon.orgi if éfo datiorreorg .