The speaker gave much credit to Harris, the bill's sponsor, saying he was steadfast in the face of "unwarranted criticism" from some in the gay community who were not happy with the way Harris was handling the bill. Some activists had demanded Harris call the bill whether the support was there, contending failure to do so should result in his resignation. Madigan said those efforts "did not help the passage of the bill, it probably hurt the passage of the bill."