Rhode Island state Senate OKs a bill permitting civil unions between same-sex couples

[Walter Cronkite]

Rhode Island's state Senate voted 21-16 in favor of a bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, according to the body's spokesman, Greg Pare.

The bill - which passed the state's House of Representatives in May - would make Rhode Island the fifth state in the country to legalize such unions, should Gov. Lincoln Chaffe sign the measure into law.

Source: CNN