Jonathan Finer, on the front page of today's Washington Post:

Connecticut's House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that would make the state the second to establish civil unions for same-sex couples, and the first to do so without being directed by a court.

The state Senate overwhelmingly approved a civil-unions bill last week, and lawmakers said they expect to endorse the House version as early as next week. Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) said Wednesday that she will sign it.

The House also passed an amendment -- favored by Rell and designed to make the bill more palatable to more conservative members -- that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

"It's an unbelievable victory," said Rep. Michael P. Lawlor (D), one of the bill's main supporters. "The idea that both houses endorsed this concept of civil unions is an incredible step."

With "an incredible step" forward comes an understandable, yet disappointing step backwards. The Oregonian has the story:

The Oregon Supreme Court this morning dismissed a lawsuit seeking to obtain equal benefits for same-sex couples and voided marriages certificates obtained by 3,000 gay and lesbian couples in Multnomah County last year.

The ruling was a victory for social conservatives who backed Measure 36, the 2004 initiative that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

It also reduces pressure on the 2005 Legislature to address civil unions legislation.

Gay rights advocates, who were riding high just a year ago, now must now start over with a new lawsuit. And although the prospects are still good that the courts will say the Oregon Constitution requires the state to give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples, such a victory likely is several years away.

Civil unions are far from dead in Oregon, but they are still a ways away from passing. A Democratic state House would help though...