By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON - State Rep. Jason Barickman, R-Champaign, said there's a wide range of views on same-sex marriage in the GOP, but he's not saying where he stands on the issue.

Barickman said more Republicans are growing to accept gay marriage as an example of limiting the role of government.

"Abraham Lincoln is an example of someone who promoted things like equality. I think this is a good discussion for our party to have. I think we are going to have it over the next few days. We'll see where the vote goes in the next day or two in the Senate," Barickman said.

To this point, however, Barickman is firmly staying out of that discussion, saying he's not yet a member of the Senate, the chamber that would vote on the proposal first. He will be sworn in as a state Senator next week.

"I'm not in the Senate. I'll be in the Senate as of Wednesday and as of Wednesday, it's a whole new ball game," Barickman said.

An attempt to fast track the gay marriage bill hit a procedural snag in the Senate earlier this week, and Barickman said he supported controls such as these which prevent bills from being rushed through the legislature without sufficient time for review or debate.

"I very much believe that those procedures are there for a good reason and I would often be one who would support following the rules that are in place and not waiving them," Barickman said.

Barickman added that his attention isn't focused on gay marriage during this Lame Duck Session, it's on the economy.

"Our priorities should be on solving the financial issues in our state," Barickman said.

Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.