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Senate</title></head><body>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="#000000">From Betsy
Russell's Spokesman Review blog.</font></div>
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color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"
color="#000000">http://www.spokesmanreview.com/boise/blog.asp</font></div
>
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color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="#000000">Mark
Solomon</font></div>
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color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+2"
color="#000000"><b>Marriage amendment killed in Senate<br>
<br>
</b>After an hour-and-a-half long debate before a packed gallery, the
Idaho Senate voted 21-14 in favor of an amendment to the Idaho
Constitution to ban gay marriage and civil unions - and that's not
enough to pass the measure, which needed a two-thirds vote, or 24
votes in the Senate, to pass. Idaho law already bans same-sex
marriage.<br>
<br>
Sponsors said they'll be back. "Whether it'll come back this
year or next year, this will come back," said Sen. Gerry Sweet,
R-Meridian. "We'll try to convince three people of the merits of
this bill."<br>
<br>
But others said they hoped the measure was gone for good. "I think
we'll be happy to lay it to rest for now," said Rep. Nicole
LeFavour, D-Boise, Idaho's first openly gay lawmaker. "We did not
start this."<br>
<br>
Sen. Dick Compton, R-Coeur d'Alene, spoke out strongly in the
debate. He said he opposes same-sex marriage, but sees no need to
change the Constitution. "I'm convinced we have very strong laws
on the books right now, and there is no horde of people advocating
alternate lifestyles coming over the wall at us," he said after the
vote. "I'd given it an awful lot of thought. I think it's just
one of those divisive things.</font></div>
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