Long time coming...

After three decades of effort, Anti-discrimination Protection for GLBT people in Washington State is finally law. It was close and there were impassioned speeches on both sides:

ESHB 2661
Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage
as Amended by the Senate
1/27/2006

Yeas: 25

Nays: 23

Absent: 0

Excused: 1

Voting Yea: Senators Berkey, Brown, Doumit, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Haugen, Jacobsen, Kastama, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, Poulsen, Prentice, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Rockefeller, Shin, Spanel, Thibaudeau, and Weinstein.

Voting Nay: Senators Benson, Benton, Brandland, Carrell, Deccio, Delvin, Esser, Hargrove, Hewitt, Honeyford, Johnson, Morton, Mulliken, Oke, Parlette, Pflug, Roach, Schmidt, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli.

Absent:

Excused: Senator McCaslin.

Congratulations to all those who have been working so hard, for so long to get this basic legislation passed. Let's celebrate tonight and get up tomorrow with the goal of moving the speed of progress from "Glacial" to "Lava-flow".