New Hampshire legislature kills same sex marriage repeal bill

The Republican-led House of Representatives in New Hampshire rejected legislation on Wednesday that would have rolled back the state's same sex marriage law.

The bill would have repealed New Hampshire's 2-year-old same sex marriage law and replaced it with a civil unions law. The House voted 211 to 116 to kill the legislation.

“Today’s big victory is a testament to the bipartisan groundswell throughout the state to keep the popular marriage law on the books,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This victory was made possible by Republicans and conservatives standing up for freedom and family. Clearly, Granite Staters believe this is a settled issue, and it’s time to move on.”

Phyllis Woods, the Republican National Committeewoman for New Hampshire, had said the bill was necessary to "undo the damage cause by liberal overreach and deep-pocketed social activists."

More than 1,900 same-sex couples have married in the state since 2009.

The federal government does not recognize same sex marriages but Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia allow same sex couples to marry. The New Jersey legislature also recently approved same sex legislation, but it was vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie.