Gay marriage proposals pending in N.H., Maine

By Globe Staff

Another key vote is expected Wednesday in the New Hampshire Legislature on a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry, while a similar bill continues making its way through the Maine Legislature.

The New Hampshire House is expected to take up the bill at 1 p.m. Wednesday after an 11-6 vote today by the House Judiciary Committee on a bill that was amended by the Senate last week.

Will Democratic Governor John Lynch sign the bill if it passes? That's a question that has both supporters and opponents of the bill closely watching Lynch.

Meanwhile, the Maine House today approved a same-sex marriage bill. The bill faces one more vote each in the House and Senate. It's also unclear whether Democratic Governor John Baldacci will sign the bill.

After Vermont legalized same-sex civil unions in 2000, Massachusetts followed with a 2003 Supreme Judicial Court decision that paved the way for same-sex marriage. Similar legal decisions followed in Connecticut and Iowa. Last month, Vermont became the first state to guarantee same-sex marriage through a legislative act.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.