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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Paul Anderson (R)

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Bill to redefine marriage passes House

Monday, May 13, 2013

By Rep. Paul Anderson

Last Thursday’s vote on the House floor to allow gay marriage in Minnesota was pivotal. I knew how I was going to vote, based on my personal conviction in the belief of traditional marriage and on the results of this district’s vote last November on the Marriage Amendment. What made the day so important was the realization that we were going to vote on an issue that could potentially change how society operates in Minnesota.

We were told the day before to expect large crowds at the Capital for the vote. Upwards of 5,000 were expected, in addition to more than 1,000 school kids who had previously been scheduled to visit and tour the Capital that same day. Security was beefed up, with extra officers from the State Patrol and from the St. Paul Police Dept. on duty. From what I observed, those on hand were well-behaved throughout the day. They were loud and boisterous, but also respectful of those on the other side of the issue.

Going in, we were told the vote would be close, although the Democrats probably had a vote or two to spare in putting them over the 68 votes needed for passage. After several hours of debate, the vote came quickly. The final margin wasn’t that close, at 75-59, putting Minnesota in the position of becoming the 12th state to recognize gay marriage. The Senate will vote on the same legislation early this week, and Gov. Dayton has said he will sign the bill, which would go into effect August 1.

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An announcement over the weekend that an agreement had been reached among Democratic leadership on a tax bill sets the stage for passage of all the omnibus spending bills still awaiting action in this final week of the session. Once that revenue number is fixed, then final spending targets can be given to each bill and the conference committees can finish their work. We are scheduled to be on the House floor every day this week, including Saturday, Sunday, and next Monday, May 20, the final day of the session.

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