So the gay marriage bill passed by the D.C. Council and signed by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is now before Congress for a 30-legislative-day passive review period.
But what is a legislative day? It means days when at last one house of Congress is in session, and while most business days are legislative days and vice versa, that’s not necessarily the case. (Note the Saturday sessions held in both houses to push the health care bill through.)
According to an informal count done yesterday by D.C. Council’s chief attorney, Brian Flowers, gay marriages are projected to be legal in the District come March 2.
That counts last Tuesday as a legislative day, and it assumes that Congress takes Martin Luther King Day and all of the week following Presidents’ Day off and stays out of session on weekends. That may be a pessimistic assumption, given the goal to have health care done by the State of the Union address.
Unknown to LL: Whether you have to wait until March 2 to take the vows, or whether you can start hitchin’ as soon as business is gaveled to a close on March 1. Anyone know?
From: “Flowers, Brian (COUNCIL)”
To: “Flowers, Brian (COUNCIL)”
Sent: Mon, January 11, 2010 4:56:11 PM
Subject: March 2, 2010 – projected law date for Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009FYI – The date has slipped because Congress was out on the Jan. 6,7,8 and 11. As of today, the projected law date fore the marriage equality bill would be March 2, 2010. The count includes 14 days in January, 15 days in February and one day in March, making March 2 the 31st day as follows. This count excludes the MLK holiday and the week including the President’s Day week.
January (14 days)
5, 12, 13, 14, 15
19, 20, 21, 22
25, 26, 27, 28, 29February (15 days)
1,2,3,4,5
8,9,10,11,12
22,23,24,25,26March (1 day)
1Brian K. Flowers
General Counsel
Council of the District of Columbia