Last week, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) told reporters that the bill to redefine marriage — SB 10 — was “12 votes short of passage.” It has also been reported that the sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill, State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago), thinks they are closer than that, but wouldn’t say how many votes they still need. A bill must have 60 votes to pass in the Illinois House. We are confident that Rep. Harris will not call the bill until he is absolutely sure he has the 60 votes needed for passage. Our goal, therefore, is to make sure that Rep. Harris is never able to call this bill for a vote.
While we’d like to believe Speaker Madigan’s count, we cannot afford to. Things move very quickly in Springfield, and with a high profile bill like same-sex marriage, the status can change quickly with the outcome devastating to families. The fact is, too many “on-the-fence” lawmakers lack core convictions about the importance of the institution of marriage. We have seen lawmakers who gave us their word they would vote one way, change their mind and vote the other way at the last minute. Therefore, we must continue our grassroots pressure.
Take ACTION: If you haven’t yet sent an email or a fax to your state representative — it is time to speak up now! Click HERE to contact your Illinois Representative and tell him/her to oppose the effort to redefine marriage! You can also call him/her through the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000.
More ACTION: Our state lawmakers will be on spring break for two weeks from March 25th thru April 5th. Please consider trying to secure a meeting for you and some friends with your local state representative during this time period.
Rally for Marriage: A group of African-American religious leaders are organizing a March and Rally for Saturday, March 23rd. This event will begin at Washington and Michigan in downtown Chicago at 11:30. For more information, please call Apostle Debra Gaines at (773) 809-4823.
You can also help us continue the fight for natural marriage by donating $15, $25, $50 or $100 or more today. With your support we can continue our vital work! Click HERE to support the work and ministry of Illinois Family Institute.
