The Vermont House of Representatives just defeated an amendment on gay marriage by a vote of 52-96. The amendment would have required a statewide advisory vote on the issue. This is good news because it clears the way for a vote on S.115 to legalize gay marriage in the state very soon, rather than some time down the road.
Further, the vote itself is also good news because that vote is mightly close to a veto-proof majority. It is safe to assume that there are more votes in support of the overall measure, S.115, than opposed to this amendment, because some of the legislators, despite their support, want to defer to a statewide vote. In fact, two of the last three speakers who voted for this amendment said they would wind up voting for S.115 anyway.
Had this amendment passed, we would have been faced with another year or two of delay. The defeat of this amendment means we will know everything within the next couple of weeks.
*source - Burlington Free Press Live Feed of House debate on amendment to S.115
Update #1 - in answer to the first post....yes, this amendment would have required a statewide advisory vote, after which the legislature would vote on the matter again. The vote would not have been binding, but over time it would have contributed to a referendum process where possibly millions of dollars would be spent on an issue in a tiny state. Don't think the legislature was willing to inflict that sort of chaos on their constituency. Quite frankly, I think the pro-gay marriage message has been sorely lacking in effectiveness, at least in California, so I'm glad we don't have to entrust certain parties to carry this issue again.
Update #2 - It's 6:25 EDT, and the legislature has gone for dinner. The final vote on S.115 is still expected tonight. The lege seems quite put out by the participation of non-Vermonters in the process......and you know what side the robo-callers were on.