Same-Sex Marriage Bill Clears Calif. Assembly Panel

A California bill that would recognize what may be thousands of same-sex marriages sailed through a policy committee Thursday, increasing the likelihood the latest post-Proposition 8 dilemma will head for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill would recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples performed outside California before Prop 8 became official Nov. 5. Same-sex couples married after that date would receive the same rights as heterosexual newlyweds, although the unions would not be called "marriage" in California.