Tag: Burlington VT

Vermont became the first state to establish same-sex marriage rights through a vote by a state legislature Tuesday morning -- and the second state in a week to legalize gay marriage after the Iowa Supreme Court threw out a state law restricting marriage to a man and a woman in a ruling Friday. The vote in the Vermont House of Representatives was a nail-biter: Lawmakers tossed Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of legislation allowing gay marriage by a single vote, 100-49, with a two-thirds majority required to quash the veto. Earlier Tuesday morning, the Vermont Senate overrode the veto 23-5.