Third time the charm for PA civil-union bill?
For the third time, state Rep. Mark Cohen (D-202nd Dist.) introduced a bill that would legalize civil unions in Pennsylvania. He proposed House Bill 1178, which currently has 27 sponsors, on April 15 to the committee on judiciary. Cohen said he has spent a lot of time on this issue and believes that, in lieu of legalizing same-sex marriage, it would represent progress in the commonwealth. “It should be supported in the House and the Senate. I would certainly support a marriage-equality bill if it was enacted, but there is not support yet for it here. I think this would be a positive step forward,” Cohen told PGN this week. The bill states, “A marriage between persons of the same sex, a civil union or a substantially similar legal relationship to that of a civil union, other than common-law marriage, legally entered into another jurisdiction shall be recognized in this Commonwealth as a civil union.” The bill also would allow all the rights, protections and duties of a heterosexual married couple to apply to a same-sex civil union, “unless the General Assembly expressly states otherwise.” Out state Rep. Brian Sims (D-182nd Dist.) said he applauds Cohen for his work on equality, but added the bill is far outdated. “I don’t question Rep. Cohen’s thought process — I think he is trying to do something more palpable — but for me, talking about civil unions is like talking about domestic partnerships: It’s talking about equality in the 1990s, not 2015,” Sims said. He said a bill of this nature might pose a distraction to proposed civil-equality legislation, such as House Bill 300, which is a measure to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s nondiscrimination law. “I think it is indeed a separate but equal bill,” said Sims. “One of the arguments you get sometimes is that we need to get everything we can as we move along, but also more importantly, as we see actual gains, one of the things we recognize is that we are trying to make very real civil-rights gains, and a bill like this can be a distraction sometimes.” Cohen said he hopes to follow Delaware, which introduced a civil-union bill in 2011 and now is moving toward marriage equality. “I think this [bill] is a stepping stone — [marriage equality] might be possible someday, but as of right now, this is a stepping stone,” he said. Cohen added that support for the bill has been far beyond what he expected, and that it could pass with effort from both a bipartisan legislature and Pennsylvania’s LGBT community. “I think it could pass if there is effort put behind it by people around the state. We have seen that people in the state prefer marriage equality and this legislation and, personally, I prefer marriage equality,” he said. “I think you have to do something, [as it’s] not merely enough to say that we don’t have marriage equality and wait until we get the votes for that. I think we need to take steps; there are people who could use the protections of marriage, which the civil union does. It’s a positive step for us and is one of the many steps to lead to marriage equality.” Sims said he’s excited to see the LGBT-inclusive bills in both the House and Senate. “I am more excited now than I have been during my campaign or in the last five months with our prospects with actual LGBT bills and gains. We need to make sure we stay focused and have a track of achievement. It is exciting to see people get fired up and excited for equality, and my job is to focus on the achievable,” he said. Cosponsors for the civil-union bill include Reps. Kevin Boyle (D-172nd Dist.), Matthew Bradford (D-70th Dist.), Tim Briggs (D-149th Dist.), Vanessa Lowery Brown (D-190th Dist.), Michelle F. Brownlee (D-195th Dist.), Dom Costa (D-21st Dist.), Paul Costa (D-34th Dist.), Tina M. Davis (D-141st Dist.), Pamela A. Delissio (D-194th Dist.), Dwight Evans (D-203rd Dist.), Florindo J. Fabrizio (D-2nd Dist.), Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.), Marc J. Gergely (D-35th Dist.), Michael P. McGeeham (D-173rd Dist.), Erin C. Molchany (D-22nd Dist.), Phyllis Mundy (D-120th Dist.), Michael H. O’Brien (D-175th Dist.), Cherelle L. Parker (D-200th Dist.), Eddie Day Pashinski (D-121st Dist.), James R. Roebuck (D-188th Dist.), Mark Rozzi (D-126th Dist.), Steven J. Santarsiero (D-31st Dist.), Michael H. Schlossberg (D-132nd Dist.), Michael P. Sturla (D-96th Dist.), Greg Vitali (D-166th Dist.), Jake Wheatley (D-19th Dist.) and Rosita C. Youngblood (D-198th Dist.).
Movement on domestic partnership amendment
After several attempts to move an amendment forward that would allow domestic partners to apply for a rebate program for a deceased partner, State Rep. Brian Sims (D-182nd Dist.) finally was successful in his quest. Sims originally planned to introduce amendment 00701 to House Bill 468 earlier this month, but the amendment was pulled twice from the floor. This time, Sims was able to garners the approval of House Republicans, including Republican state Rep. Jim Cox, original creator of the bill. Sims’ amendment also would include, for the first time in Pennsylvania, a definition of domestic partnership, which would not only protect same-sex couples but also unmarried heterosexual couples. The representative said his interactions with the House GOP leadership were positive. “I had said going into this job that it was the job of a legislator to reach across the aisle. I think it is a part of our job requirement. I see more pathways to working with Republicans than I had envisioned. I think what this says about the Republican Party is it may express strong opposition to marriage equality, but that they will begin to explore the community.” Sims added he believes Republicans are realizing their views are no longer necessarily the most popular. “The Republican Party is beginning to notice that being antigay doesn’t put them into the majority anymore. It is allowing more and more Republicans like Rep. Thomas Murt or Rep. Mike Fleck to explore, perhaps, the more ‘libertarian’ side of the Republican Party,” he said. Sims said that when the amendment was voted on, he felt acceptance from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. “It is very hard work. You have quick conversation, quick notes, you’re running on and off the floor. The best indication was from my Republican colleagues afterward. My Democratic colleagues were pleased with me for getting this out there. We were really positive.”