A tip from esteemed reader MJ:
SB 27 by Venables has a hearing tomorrow at 1:00 PM in his committee(Small Business). This is a DE version of DOMA. It appears that the swing vote is George Bunting. Please contact his office at (302) 744-4286 and tell him to vote against this bill.
It’s more than just the DE version of DOMA, MJ. Look at the text:
“A marriage between a man and a woman is the only legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”
ONLY LEGAL UNION – that would OUTLAW Civil Unions. Is that the kind of message we want to send to the world? Is that the kind of message we want to send to the business community? Remember, some of our state’s biggest corporate employers (including DuPont, AstraZeneca, and the big banks) offer domestic partnership benefits. This bill will make our state less attractive for employers and prospective entrepeneurs.
Remember, 55% of Americans support Civil Unions, and Delaware is more socially progressive than the average state. So it’s not unreasonable to think that a wide majority of Delawareans support Civil Unions. And Delaware just elected the largest legislative majority of Democrats in recent history; Delaware’s 16-5 Democratic Senate majority is larger, percentage-wise, than that of the Senates of New Jersey, Maryland, New York, or even Connecticut – in fact, it’s on par with Vermont’s 23-7 split.
We have the power to fight this, and we have the power to win. Call the Delaware Senate – (302) 744-4286 – and ask for George Bunting’s office. Do it now. Remind Senator’s Bunting’s staffers that Bunting was endorsed by the Delaware Liberty Fund.
And when you’re done, call some Liberty Fund-endorsed Republicans (Senators Coutier, Sorenson, and Connor), and some non-endorsed Democrats (Senators Marshall, DeLuca, McBride, and Cook). Don’t bother with the bill’s sponsorts (Senators Venables (D), Adams (D), Ennis (D), Bonini (R), and Simpson (R)).
DO THIS NOW.