Posted on 07/07/2004 3:51:26 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republican leaders who were once unenthusiastic about President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment against recognizing gay marriages now say they plan to bring the idea to a vote just before next November's election.
Senate Republicans want to force votes on the amendment in the next two weeks, just before Democrats convene to nominate Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as their candidate to unseat Bush.
Also in July, the House plans to debate a measure that would give state courts rather than certain federal ones jurisdiction of gay marriage cases.
"We feel like marriage is under attack. Marriage is a spiritual bond between one man and one woman," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said Wednesday.
"I came to realize, in the end, we're going to have to do a constitutional amendment if we want to protect marriage."
He said House GOP leaders expect to debate the constitutional amendment in September.
The Senate has scheduled time in the next two weeks for debate on its own proposed amendment, though sponsors acknowledge the difficulty of getting the two-thirds majority needed for approval.
President Bush announced his support for an amendment in February.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay political organization, has begun a television and Internet advertising campaign aimed at defeating the congressional efforts.
The amendment "is unnecessary, discriminatory and undermines the Constitution," said the group's president, Cheryl Jacques.
Kerry and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, oppose same-sex marriage but support civil unions. Neither would support a constitutional amendment.
Amendments to the Constitution require approval by two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.
The bill dealing with jurisdiction of court cases would leave decisions about legalizing gay marriage in state courts and prevent federal judges from hearing cases that challenge the Defense of Marriage Act. It defines marriage in federal law as the union between a man and a woman.
Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., has written legislation to remove marriage from certain federal courts.
In a May statement explaining the bill, he said, "Simply put, if federal courts don't have jurisdiction over marriage issues, they can't hear them. And if they can't hear cases regarding marriage policy, they can't redefine this sacred institution and establish a national precedent for homosexual marriage."
The 1%'rs and their allies....trying to destroy the U.S. of our founders...
moving us toward their masters global agenda...
haha !
Let's get them both on record voting against it.
That ought to go over well in NC, Mr. Edwards.
I don't think Kerry and Edwards will show up to this vote.
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