A group of state representatives in Rhode Island are working to pass a marriage equality bill this session, Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Cranston) told the Providence Journal in an interview. He and 27 co-sponsors yesterday reintroduced a bill that would make same-sex marriages legal in the Ocean State.

Handy says that the bill is identical to the one he introduced last year, which asserts that marriage is a “legal institution recognized by the state in order to promote stable relationships and to protect individuals who are in those relationships."

“Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements [in law] may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender,” the bill says. It allows religious institutions that oppose same-sex unions the right to refuse to perform the ceremony.

Handy told the Journal that he understands many supporters in the House are torn and feel the vote should be up to the people. He wants the bill considered early in the session, before the house gets bogged down with the state budget.

Recently elected House Speaker Gordon D. Fox (D-Providence) rejects the idea of a referendum, calling marriage equality a civil rights issue. “Civil rights issues should be dealt with in the bodies that were elected to do the work of the people,” Fox said. “This is where those decisions should be made.”