Gov. Gregoire to sign same-sex marriage bill on Monday

By Associated Press Published: Feb 10, 2012 at 11:36 AM PDT
Gov. Gregoire to sign same-sex marriage bill on Monday
Gov. Chris Gregoire speaks at a news conference where she said that she wants Washington to become the seventh state in the nation to make gay marriage legal, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, in Olympia, Wash. Gregoire said she'll introduce legislation that, if passed, would allow same-sex marriage in Washington state. The Democrat had previously supported efforts to expand domestic partner rights for gay couples, but had not previously come out in favor of full marriage rights. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Chris Gregoire will sign a measure legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington state into law on Monday.

The House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote on Wednesday. The Senate approved the measure last week. Gregoire will sign the bill at 11:30 a.m. Monday.
 
The law would take effect 90 days after the session ends next month, but opponents have promised to fight back with a ballot measure that would allow voters to overturn it.
 
If opponents gather enough signatures to take their fight to the ballot, the law is put on hold pending the outcome of a November election. They must turn in more than 120,000 signatures by June 6 to challenge the proposed law. An anti-gay marriage initiative has also been filed. To qualify, 241,153 signatures must be submitted by July 6.