R.I. Gov. signs bill allowing civil unions

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has signed into law a bill that allows gay couples to enter civil unions.

Chafee signed the bill Saturday, calling it a "step forward" toward full marriage rights, even as he expressed reservations about the legislation.

He said the bill fails to give homosexual couples the full marriage rights given to heterosexual couples, and also said he was concerned that an exemption given to religious groups was too broad.

But he added the legislation "brings tangible rights and benefits to thousands of Rhode Islanders" and said it "provides a foundation from which we will continue to fight for full marriage equality."