Dean said he had attended five town meetings on Tuesday and the people he encountered were unaware that such a definition was contained in the bill. And he blamed the news media for not reporting that information to Vermont voters. I can say it till I'm blue in the face. Unless you write it or put it on television, most people are going to know about it. Dean also said he was committed to providing full civil rights to all Vermonters and that he would fight for passage of the civil union bill.
Civil rights are inalienable respect for every human being for what they are.
That is enshrined in the Constitution of the state of Vermont. I fundamentally belief in the Common Benefits Clause, which says that no group of Vermonters shall have more benefits or less benefits than anyone else. The civil union bill could come up for a vote in the full House by as early as Tuesday. House Speaker Michael J. Obuchowski, D-Rockingham, said he and other House leaders were trying to get a count on the members who will vote for the bill. Obuchowski also said he believed that the civil union bill would address some of the objections raised at town meetings.