Senator Kissel: “Same Sex Marriage Poised to Pass Committee in Historic Vote”

The lead Republican Senator on the legislature’s Judiciary Committee today said that a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Connecticut appears headed for committee passage. State Senator John A. Kissel, R- Enfield, today said that he believes the votes are in place for committee passage, and that a vote could occur as early as next week.

“I think it will be a close vote, but at the end of the day I believe the votes are there for passage,” said Sen. Kissel, who opposes the legislation. “The proponents of the measure have done a very good job in rallying their supporters and garnering votes, and for that they certainly deserve credit.”

Sen. Kissel believes the measure will pass by about one to three votes. “It will certainly be close, but I think they have the votes and that is a credit to their hard work and perseverance.”

Sen. Kissel said he remains opposed to same-sex marriage in Connecticut for a few reasons. “First and foremost, the vast majority of the people that I represent are in support of traditional marriage. Whether it’s the people I talk to or the correspondence I receive, my constituents are very much in favor of traditional marriage,” said Sen. Kissel. “In addition, there are a lot of people that believe that since we just passed the civil union law two years ago we should wait to see how that law works before expanding the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.”

Connecticut is seeking to become the nation’s second state to legalize same-sex marriage and the first to do so without a court order. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to legalize same sex marriage.

Senator Kissel is the Ranking Senator of the Judiciary Committee and is in his eighth term representing the 7th Senatorial District which includes Enfield, East Granby, Somers, Suffield, Windsor Locks and parts of Granby and Windsor.