 Civil unions advance in Colorado, and old foes are joining forces in Maine. There's just a few days left until North Carolina votes on an extreme constitutional amendment, and the race is getting closer and closer every day. And new research has shown a promising trend when it comes to public opinion. I'm Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for April 30th, 2012. The Colorado Senate passed a civil unions bill this week. Now it's on to the House, where an identical bill was killed last year along party lines. Republicans still have a one-vote lead in the House, but that doesn't mean the bill is doomed to defeat. This year, three Senate Republicans voted for it, so there's a chance it's picked up additional GOP support in the House. Times running out, the legislature adjourns on May 9th. We'll be following the situation in Colorado very closely. You can subscribe to this channel on YouTube to make sure you get our weekly updates on marriage and civil union work around the country, and subscribe to AFER on Twitter and Facebook to stay connected to the fight for full federal marriage equality. While progress continues in Colorado, marriages are on hold in Maryland, pending a vote in November. But a new study shows that legalizing marriage in the state could bring in $90 million a year. That estimate comes from the Williams Institute at UCLA and research director M.V. Lee Badgett. Badgett was one of the expert witnesses called by AFER in the Prop 8 trial, where she testified about the economic harm that Prop 8 continues to inflict. In addition to Maryland, Maine will also likely have marriage on the ballot this November. This week, the National Organization for Marriage and the Christian Civic League announced a new PAC to stop voters from overturning Maine's marriage ban. We're about one week away from a vote in North Carolina on Amendment 1. The polls show that the measure's lead is rapidly shrinking. Voters have expressed a lot of confusion over what the amendment does, but a surge in voter education is rapidly turning public opinion against the measure. Amendment 1 would strip kids of health coverage and block domestic violence protection, as well as eliminate relationship recognition. Now, if the campaign can bring that information to enough voters in the next week, they could close their narrowing gap. Several new polls out this week, a Pew survey shows that Americans favor legalization of marriage equality by 4 percentage points over those who want it banned. That's quite a reversal from four years ago when banning marriage had a 12-point lead over equality, and four years before that, it was a 29-point lead. At this rate, equality is gaining by about 4 percentage points every year, and if it continues by the next presidential election, 63 percent of Americans will support marriage equality. That change may be due in part to changing demographics, a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that nearly 60 percent of college-age millennials support marriage equality. And finally this week, a survey in New Hampshire shows that support for marriage has increased by 13 points in just the last year. That's a huge jump from one year, and a testimony to just how non-partisan marriage equality is. It's a value that everyone can support when they see it in action. And that's why it's so important to thumbs up and share these videos, so as many people see them as possible. By spreading the news about marriage to everyone you know, you're doing your part to win equality for all those committed couples who just want to get married. I'm Matt Baume, the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We'll see you next week.