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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

State Representative, Pos. 2

Related Coverage, Page 3

Paul revs up receptive crowd

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul may not have won a state primary yet, but he remains a favorite to win Spokane County. A standing-room-only crowd of about 2,300 shouted their support for Paul during his 45-minute speech Friday evening at the Spokane Convention Center.

Gay marriage wins 55-43 vote, now headed to Gregoire

OLYMPIA – By a vote of 55-43, the House passed and sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Washington. Gregoire, who has already called for such legislation, will sign it sometime within the next week. After nearly two and a half hours of debate, the House passed SB 6239 without amendments, setting Washington up to be the seventh state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.

In brief: Same-sex marriage gets House panel OK

OLYMPIA – By a single vote, a House panel passed a proposal to allow same-sex marriage after rejecting a Spokane Valley legislator’s efforts to change it. Republican Rep. Matt Shea argued that all business owners with a religious objection to same-sex marriage need absolute protection from any civil suit for refusing to participate. That’s in keeping with the state constitution’s guarantee of “absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment,” he said.