March 16, 2004 11:28 PM EST
PORTLAND, Ore. - Benton County, home to Oregon State University, will become the state's second county to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
The county follows in the footsteps of Multnomah County, Oregon's most populous, which has issued over 2,200 licenses to gay couples since March 3.
Licenses will be available in Benton County starting March 24, County Commissioner Linda Modrell said Tuesday.
Benton County, about an hour's drive from Portland, is home to Corvallis, known as one of the state's more liberal cities.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat, had urged other counties not to follow in Multnomah County's lead.
The motion was passed by county commissioners by a 2-1 vote.
Modrell said the decision was partly based on a nonbinding opinion issued last week by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, which said a ban on gay marriage probably violates Oregon's constitution, although existing state law also prohibits the practice.