The same-sex marriage movement is growing quickly in Rhode Island. (rauchdickson, Creative Commons)

The bill will now move into the Senate. However, many same-sex advocates believe that getting the bill past the Senate will be their toughest challenge.

Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed is notably against gay marriage and previously blocked a vote regarding the topic. However, she said that if the bill passed in the House, she would allow the Senate to vote on it. 

The Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, an LGBT rights group, believed that the vote today expressed the positive strides the movement has made. Campaign director Ray Sullivan is very happy about the House's approval of the bill. 

"Today is a proud and historic day," stated Sullivan. "There is incredible momentum behind this movement- first a unanimous Judiciary Committee vote, and now two-third of [Rhode Island House of Representatives] members, Republicans and Democrats, stood in support of marriage equality."

The bill had previously come up in the House Judiciary Committee once before, but only one person approved of it in 2001. However, 12 years later, Rhode Island looks ready to move forward.

A more liberal government is the biggest reason for the change in Rhode Island's same-sex views: Governor Lincoln Chafee, is an independent, and House speaker Gordon D. Fox, is gay and are two of the strong voices behind the marriage equality bill. 

Reach Executive Producer Max Meyer by email, or follow him on Twitter.