The Democrat-led New Hampshire Senate, on a strictly party-line vote, approved legislation Thursday to create civil unions for same-sex couples, Fox News reported.
The House passed the measure earlier this month. It now heads to Gov. John Lynch, who has indicated he will sign it into law.
Fergus Cullen, chairman of the state Republican Party, said after November’s election put Democrats in control, they immediately tossed a recommendation from a state-advisory panel that endorsed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
“It is an example of the Democrats over-reading their mandate,” he said.
Republican Sens. Jack Barnes and Robert Letourneau voted against civil unions.
“Let’s just call it what it really is – no sugarcoating: This creates same-sex marriage,” Letourneau said. “There is no right to (same-sex) marriage in either the New Hampshire Constitution or the federal Constitution.”
Barnes said the new civil-unions law is going to create “one heck of a mess.”
New Hampshire will join New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont in allowing civil unions.
