SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Less than a year after Illinois' landmark civil-unions law took effect, the state's three openly gay lawmakers are pushing for a new law that would formalize same-sex marriage.

A bill filed today (HB5170) would mandate that "all laws of this State applicable to marriage apply equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples and their children."

It would also specify that same-sex married couples be included in the definitions of all legal terms "such as `spouse', `family', `immediate family', `dependent', `next of kin', `wife', `husband', `bride', `groom', `wedlock', and other terms that refer to or denote the spousal relationship."

The bill was sponsored by state reps. Greg Harris, Deborah Mell and Kelly Cassidy, all Chicago Democrats and currently the Legislature's only openly gay members.

The civil unions law that took effect last year grants all legal and financial rights to same-sex couples as are enjoyed by married couples. But it stopped short of calling those unions marriages—a largely symbolic distinction, but one that has had a heavy impact on the debate nationwide over same-sex couples' rights.

The Illinois civil unions law was heatedly debated when it was passed in part because opponents said it was a first step toward formalization of gay marriage. Harris and other supporters confirmed at that time they intended press for a bill allowing full marriage.

It's unclear whether the bill has a real chance of passage. The civil unions bill passed in late 2010 during a lame-duck legislative session, supported by some outgoing lawmakers who wouldn't face election again, and it barely passed. While the Legislature is still Democratic majority, it is generally more conservative since new members were sworn in shortly after that passage.