The 26-15 vote by the state House of Representatives was heralded by gay rights groups. The state Senate passed the bill last week on a 13-6 vote.source
"Parties who enter into a lawful civil union in Delaware, or whose legal union is recognized as a civil union under Delaware law, will have all of the same rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities as married persons under Delaware law," the measure says.
"Today, we celebrate a victory for all Delaware families who will have the tools to protect themselves in good times and in bad," said Joe Solomonese, Human Rights Campaign president, in a statement.
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has said he will sign the bill, according to the Delaware News Journal.
"The fact that the Delaware General Assembly passed civil union legislation on the first attempt is a great testament to how far public opinion has come on equality issues," said Lisa Goodman, president of Equality Delaware.
The bill does not allow same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses, and religious institutions retain the right to refuse to solemnize such unions. After it is signed, the bill will take effect January 1.
She said China had a "carefully thought out and strategic plan to take over America" and accused one opponent of appeasement for suggesting that the two countries were economically dependent and should find a way to be allies.
"That doesn't work," she said. "There's much I want to say. I wish I wasn't privy to some of the classified information that I am privy to."
"A country that forces women to have abortions and mandates that you can only have one child and will not allow you the freedom to read the Bible, you think they can be our friend?" she asked. "We have to look at our history and realize that if they pretend to be our friend it's because they've got something up their sleeve."
O'Donnell's campaign didn't immediately respond to questions about the comments.
"How many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks in high school? There's been no witchcraft since. If there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter now."
That's what she told her coven at a GOP picnic.
"In southern Delaware, where there are a lot of church-going people, they're probably going to want to know what was that all about," Rove said on Fox News Sunday. "And again, she said it on television when she went on the ... the Bill Maher show."Rove was referring to an October 1999 appearance O'Donnell made on Maher's "Politically Incorrect" show where she said," I dabbled into witchcraft -- I never joined a coven... One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn't know it." O'Donnell had been on Maher's show frequently in the 1990s, and Maher has said he is going to show an O'Donnell clip each week until she agrees to appear again.Rove said that in whatever way O'Donnell deals with the quote from her past, she can't say, "These are unfactual and not true and ... go to my Web site and ignore them.""I don't think the people of Delaware have or are accepting that as a reasonable explanation," Rove said. "And until they do, they're going to be resistant to hearing the bigger, broader, more important message."
