aND STILL MORE HATE ....
MONDAY, JUL 1, 2013 01:41 PM -0700
House GOPer introduces constitutional ban on same-sex marriage
Rep. Tim Huelskamp's amendment will fail, but it did pick up 28 co-sponsors
BY JILLIAN RAYFIELD
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act, conservative Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., has introduced a measure that would amend the Constitution so that it defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The bill, called the Federal Marriage Amendment, is quite short:
Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.
Last week, the Supreme Court held that Section 3 of DOMA, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman for the purposes of receiving federal benefits, is unconstitutional.
Though there’s no chance that Huelskamp’s legislation will become law, 28 Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors to it, mostly unsurprising conservatives like Paul Broun, Ga., Trent Franks, Ariz., Louie Gohmert, Texas, Ralph Hall, Texas, Jim Jordan, Ohio, and Steve Stockman, Texas.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) previously cosponsored a similar Federal Marriage Amendment that failed to advance in July 2006. That vote was the last time Congress has voted on such a proposal. Requests for comment from Boehner’s and Cantor’s offices were not returned.
Some other notable Republicans who voted for the 2006 constitutional amendment aren’t currently cosponsoring Huelskamp’s bill. Among them are House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.).