The Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection, a special panel set up last summer to hold hearings and study the potential impact of offering full marriage equality as opposed to civil unions in the state, released a report today that suggests the state should take steps in that direction, but declines to specifically recommend that:
“The 11-member panel says it decided not to make a final recommendation, because to do so would undercut the purpose of its report. Instead it says it wanted mainly to provide research to help lawmakers make the decision. But in its findings it says a gay marriage law would be a clearer and more direct statement of full equality by the state.”
In March, the results of an annual state poll were released showing an eight-percent jump in support for same-sex marriage: “A majority of nearly 7,000 Vermonters completing opinion surveys on Town Meeting Day said they favor same-sex marriage. 54-percent said they support allowing gay couples to marry while 37-percent were opposed.”
