The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Office applauded the leadership of Governor John Hickenlooper in announcing that he will call the Colorado Legislature into special session to have a full and fair debate and vote on Senate Bill 2, which would establish civil unions in Colorado.  Governor Hickenlooper took this step after the leadership of the Colorado House of Representatives took extraordinary actions to avoid bringing the bill to the floor for a hearing and vote on May 8, the last day it could be heard this year.  The bill appeared to have more than enough bipartisan votes to pass the House, but House leaders called a two-hour recess and then adjourned for the day rather than bring the bill up for debate.

Scott L. Levin, ADL Regional Director, issued the following statement:

Governor Hickenlooper is to be applauded for his decision to call the Colorado Legislature into special session to allow due consideration of Senate Bill 2.  It is shameful that the House leadership would not give the bill a full and fair hearing before the end of the 2012 legislative session.  The bill had bipartisan support in the Senate and in each House committee that heard it, and it was expected to pass if House leadership had only allowed the full House to vote on it.

Governor Hickenlooper’s action evidences that the House leadership cannot ultimately stop the will of the people and the march of history.  ADL is confident that, ultimately, Colorado’s same-sex couples will have equal access to the family protections and responsibilities that different-sex couples now enjoy as a matter of course.