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Will
Legislature Vote on Marriage on June 19?
By MassNews Staff
May 2002
Senate President Tom Birmingham has
scheduled a Constitutional Convention for the Protection
of Marriage Amendment on Wednesday, June 19th at 10
a.m. at the State House.
The big unknown is whether Birmingham
will allow a vote at that time or whether he will
just postpone the Convention to a future date.
"That's the big question now," says Sarah
McVay Pawlick, President of MCM.
"In order to be fair, he should inform the public
whether he plans to have a vote at that time. We're
unsure whether he is going to be fair or not. So far,
he has acted like a statesman. We hope he continues
in that role."
But the Boston Globe and others are urging the Senator
to violate the Constitution and never allow a vote
to take place. They want the Amendment to die without
being considered by the Legislature.
Another Sneaky Trick
Another sneaky trick is being urged on Sen. Birmingham.
That is to call for a quorum immediately - before
all the Legislators have arrived. Under this scheme,
there must be 101 people present or the Convention
will be adjourned immediately. This effectively means
that the Amendment must get 101 in favor instead of
the 50 that the Constitution requires.
But Sen. Birmingham can avoid this trickery by letting
everyone know in advance what day a vote will take
place and then seeing that the members act responsibly
and stay for a vote.
The Boston Globe has urged that he call for a "quick
vote" when no one is present but opponents of
the measure who had been forewarned about the plan.
Important to Call
"This is why we are urging everyone to call Sen.
Birmingham and the other Senators and Representatives,"
said Pawlick. "They must understand that a lot
of people are watching what they do. They must realize
that if they do not follow the rules and hold a fair
vote, they will suffer at the polls in November. If
they do follow the rules, they will be applauded."
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Don't
Forget to Vote Today!
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The
votes are being counted at the State House every
day.
The leaders want to know how many citizens are
calling about the Protection of Marriage Amendment.
Is the number of calls up or down?
So far, the calls are running about equal, the
legislators are telling Mass. Citizens for Marriage.
Those in favor of the Amendment and those against
it are calling in about the same numbers.
"This is not good enough, they tell us,"
says Sarah McVay Pawlick, President of MCM. "The
Reps and Senators say that even though over 60%
of the citizens favor the Amendment, their telephone
calls do not yet reflect that number.
"No one should lose their vote on this important
issue. You should call Senate President Birmingham,
plus your state Senator and Rep. You should tell
them how you stand. If you don't do it, you will
lose your vote.
"All the legislators really are counting
every call, every day. We know this because we
talk to them on a daily basis. And so do the opponents."
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The telephone for Sen.
Birmingham is 617-722-1500. The
number for all Reps is 617-722-2000.
The numbers for all
state Senators and
Reps can be found at: <http://www.sec-state.isaka.net/magov/search_form.php>.
Should Not Decide
in Haste
The important message to the legislators is
that regardless how they feel about the issue,
they should not shoot themselves in the foot,
says Pawlick.
They should allow the Constitutional process
to continue. The Legislature can, if they wish,
defeat the Amendment when it comes up for a
vote before them again next year. But it's impossible
to have any meaningful debate in the short time
remaining before they adjourn for this year
on July 31.
Over 110,000 citizens indicated last fall that
they want to vote on this measure. No one can
say that we have had any time for discussion.
In fact, the Legislature still hasn't even finished
the budget for next year.
The people on Beacon Hill can not afford to
have any more smoke-filled rooms, particularly
with an election coming up, Pawlick says. "Let
the people debate it as is their right according
to our state Constitution."
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