Politics & Government

Lake Minnetonka State Reps Vote Against Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage

Do you support the votes cast Thursday by State Representatives Cindy Pugh and Jerry Hertaus? How would you like to see State Senator Dave Osmek vote when the bill reaches the Senate next week? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Both Republican state representatives who represent communities surrounding Lake Minnetonka voted no Thursday on a bill that would effectively legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.

The bill passed by a 75-59 margin and now heads to the Minnesota State Senate. If it passes, Governor Dayton is expected to sign the bill into law—making Minnesota the 12th state in the nation to adopt such legislation.

Cindy Pugh (33-B) represents the communities of Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenwood, Minnetonka Beach, Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park and Tonka Bay; Jerry Hertaus (33-A) represents the communities of Greenfield, Independence, Maple Plain, Medina, Corcoran, Wayzata, Long Lake, Minnetrista, Orono, Loretto and St. Bonifacius. Both are in their first term after being elected last November.

Find out what's happening in Lake Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Lake Minnetonka area is represented in the Minnesota State Senate by Dave Osmek (R-33), also a first-term law maker. Most political observers anticipate Osmek will vote against the bill when it is voted on in the Senate next week—perhaps as early as Monday. Osmek told the McLeod County Chronicle last month that he believed same-sex marriage will "eventually inflict on religious institutions."

Thursday's vote in the Minnesota State House came nearly six months to the day after a 2012 vote on a Republican-sponsored amendment item defining marriage as a union between man and woman failed on Election Day.

Find out what's happening in Lake Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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