A Good Day in Delaware

Delaware's General Assembly made me proud today; they stood up for equality. At least some of them. A little.

First, the State Senate beat back an attempt to enshrine homophobia in the state constitution. They voted down a bill that would have added language outlawing gay marriage (already banned in the Delaware Code, unfortunately) to the state's constitution. It would have been the first part of a several-step process to amend the constitution.

Later, the State House approved a bill to add sexual orientation to the list of things for which you cannot be discriminated against. (I think I wrote that correctly). Similar legislation has passed the State House in the past and died in the Senate, but there's a new feeling around and maybe this time it will pass there as well.

There was a rally outside Legislative Hall this afternoon of people in support of banning gay marriage and against outlawing discrimination against gays. It rained on them.

Yay!

At 10:35:20 p.m. today, Senate Bill 89 passed in the Delaware House of Representatives. It now goes to Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner for (I hope) her signature.

I have been working over the last two years to get this legislation, AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GEOSPATIAL DATA, enacted. It formalizes the Delaware Geographic Data Committee, the community of geospatial data users I have worked with for many years. It adds a high-level Executive Committee and sets out some serious goals and objectives.

This brings Delaware closer to the standard for state GIS Coordination set in the NSGIC Fifty States Initiative. It will mean more work for me, but it is work I welcome.