Vermonters have been patiently waiting for the release of the 11 person panel’s report on replacing civil unions with same sex marriages. The commission, appointed by legislators, to study same-sex marriage stopped just short in its final report Monday of recommending to allow marriage in the state. While leaving the final decision to lawmakers, they did make some recommendations. “It is the role of Vermont’s policy-makers and elected officials to read and reflect on this report and in their best judgment determine what steps to take in their role as public servants of the people of Vermont.” Further, “such a change in the law would give access (to same-sex couples) to less tangible incidents of marriage, including its terminology (e.g. marriage, wedding, married, celebration, divorce), and its social cultural and historical significance.” They also concluded that “there is credible social science research supporting the conclusion that raising children in a gay or lesbian coupled family, per se, has no negative impacts on the well-being of children.”