On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions (e.g., Massachusetts and Iowa) as equivalent to Washington's state-registered domestic partnerships. The bill has been moved on to the Rules Committee, which will decide whether to forward the bill to the state house floor. Speaking with Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-43), the sponsor of the bill, he said, "There is very little question that we would have enough votes to pass it in the house." As to whether or not it will survive in the state senate, Pedersen added, "There isn't any point in passing it out of the house if it can't pass in the senate."