By News staff
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island state lawmakers have scheduled a long-awaited hearing on gay marriage legislation, setting up a potential vote in the House of Representatives before month's end.
The House announced it will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the legislation.
Hearings in earlier years stretched late into the night and attracted hundreds of people on both sides of the contentious issue.
A committee vote on the bill has not been scheduled.
House Speaker Gordon Fox has said he would like the House to vote on gay marriage by the end of January. The legislation is expected to pass the House but its chances in the Senate are uncertain.
Rhode Island is now the only state in New England without gay marriage.