Weldon Amendment Fails; DC Domestic Partnership Law Now Funded

Christian Coalition of America ^ | 9/27/01 | Christian Coalition of America

[Askel5]

September 27, 2001

AMENDMENT TO PREVENT D.C.'S DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP LAW FROM GOING INTO EFFECT WAS DEFEATED ON HOUSE FLOOR

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) to prohibit the use of any appropriated funds to implement D.C.'s domestic partnership law - legislation that provides marital benefits to unmarried and homosexual couples.

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 194-226. Every District of Columbia appropriations bill since 1992 (when the domestic partnership law was passed) has contained a prohibition on the use of all appropriated tax dollars - both federal funds and local funds - to implement and enforce the District's domestic partnership law.

In the past, the United States Congress has never appropriated one dollar to this harmful legislation which redefines the "family" to include any two individuals who are in a relationship "characterized by mutual caring and the sharing of a mutual residence."

In the past, the U.S. Congress has been able to prevent this law from going into effect because the U.S. Congress has the responsibility under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution to "exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever" over the District of Columbia.

Defeat of the Weldon amendment means that if this provision remains in the final version of the bill that becomes enacted, the District of Columbia will be able to use its local funds to put the domestic partnership law into effect.

All of the Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the Weldon amendment, except for three Republicans who did not vote (Cooksey, Hastert, Rehberg), and except for the following 41 Republicans who voted against the Weldon amendment:

Bass Biggert Boehlert Bono Castle Davis (VA) Dreier Ehrlich English Ferguson Foley Frelinghuysen Ganske Gilchrest

Gillmor Gilman Greenwood Hobson Horn Houghton Issa Johnson (CT) Kelly Kirk Kolbe LaTourette Leach Lewis (CA)

McCrery Miller Morella Ose Pryce (OH) Regula Rohrabacher Ros-Lehtinen Shaw Shays Simmons Sweeney Thomas

All of the Democratic Members voted against the Weldon amendment, except for eight Democratic Members who did not vote (Meeks (NY), Owens, Peterson (MN), Rush, Serrano, Towns, Velazquez, and Watson of CA), and except for the following 18 Democratic Members who voted for the Weldon amendment:

Berry Clement Costello Cramer Hall (OH) Hall (TX) Holden John Lipinski

Lucas (KY) Mascara McIntyre Phelps Shows Stenholm Tanner Taylor (MS) Traficant.

ACTION ITEM #1:

Please call Rep. Dave Weldon's office and tell him THANK YOU for offering this amendment. During the floor debate on the bill, an opponent of the amendment, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, went so far as to say "the Weldon amendment is an expression of unadulterated bigotry. Do not mar the D.C. appropriations with ugly prejudice."

To which, Rep. Weldon responded, "Mr. Chairman, for 7 years, I was one of the only physicians in my county who treated AIDS patients. I got up in the middle of the night, went into the hospital, examined them, took care of them, for years. I really take offense at some of the language that has been used in response to my amendment. The purpose of my amendment is to protect the integrity of the institution of marriage in the United States."

Rep. Weldon's phone numbers are the following: Capitol Hill: 202-225-3671; Melbourne, 321-632-1776; Vero Beach, 561-778-3534.

ACTION ITEM #2:

If your Congressman voted against the Weldon amendment, please call him/her and let them know how disappointed you are.

If your Congressman voted for the Weldon amendment, please call him/her and tell them thank you.

Phone numbers and e-mail addresses for Members of Congress can be found on this page of the Christian Coalition of America website.

[Askel5]

Marriage and "De Facto" Unions
(Cohabitation and Homosexual Marriage)

[boomop1]

The nations capital, it is sick out there and getting sicker, just defund it.

[okie_tech]

If your congress critter voted against this amendment then

YOU

are to blame.

[BikerNYC]

The purpose of my amendment is to protect the integrity of the institution of marriage in the United States.

Outlaw divorce.

[newzjunkey]

ISSA? That's my brother's district. Interesting. I'm sure he'll be thrilled. (sarcasm)

In case some freepers aren't aware, the House Speaker traditionally does not cast a vote. This accounts for Hastert not voting.

[jwalsh07]

All the Ct creeps voted in against Weldon's amendment of course. My email to my useless Congressman. He always replies especially when I write him about his unadulterated support of baby killing.

Mr. Simmons,

I see that you have voted to spend my money in support of homosexual domestic relationships which is directly against the teachings of my faith and natural law. If the people of DC want to fund this, let them fund it with their own money. Your attack on the first amendment continues and I regret ever having stood on the corner in the winter urging people to vote for you. Rest assured I will be standing on the corner again but I won't be urging people to vote for you.

John Walsh

[Askel5]

Outlaw divorce.

I think it's pretty clear that -- in conjunction with outright deconstruction of "marriage" along these lines -- this nation has only bent over backwards to ENCOURAGE divorce.

Don't sweat it. The government doesn't want us binding ourselves to anything or anyone but them.

[BikerNYC]

I think the frequency of divorce has done more to weaken marriage than anything else. We should ask ourselves why we are doing this to marraige, instead of trying to pin the blame on those other than ourselves.

[gunshy]

It will be interesting to see how our moral president GWB deals with this legislation. Any bets?

[Pee_Oui]

think it's pretty clear that -- in conjunction with outright deconstruction of "marriage" along these lines -- this nation has only bent over backwards to ENCOURAGE divorce.

Maybe so, but I read the other day that people are cancelling their DIVORCES in the aftermath of NYC bombing, and re-evaluating their priorities in life and family...

Can't beat that. Seems like their children and the petty things in life aren't all that important anymore.

Hip, hip!!!???

DL

[anniegetyourgun]

Straight down party lines in my state. Seems the DEMS will always align themselves with aberrant behavior. They are what they support.

[BikerNYC]

I think he won't make a big bruhaha out of it and will just sign it. No pens, no ceremony, just a signature.

[anniegetyourgun]

You're thinking that maybe he might veto D.C. altogether?

[anniegetyourgun]

"....redefines the "family" to include any two individuals who are in a relationship "characterized by mutual caring and the sharing of a mutual residence."

Wonder why they stopped there? There is, after all, no grounds under the concept of "non-discrimination" to disallow any configuration if someone wants to call it a "family."

[patriciaruth]

Fine, I'm to blame, but I'm still going to work for his reelection. The alternative is a great deal worse.

[agrandis]

OUr money is confiscated at gunpoint to fund yet one more wonderful thing. What if 3 million of us, in unison, refused to pay our taxes until they quit forcing us to fund things we find completely abominable? What would happen? I guess we'll never find out, because the days for that kind of principle are long dead, in spite of all the red, white, and blue waving all over the place.

[agrandis]

Post 14 - good point. What is their criterion for limiting this to two people? Why are they discriminating against polygamists?

[agrandis]

Post 8 - good point! We should not forget about the damage done by divorce. Actually, I am of the opinion that divorce is sometimes an indirect cause of homosexuality, among many other evils. Sin snowballs.

[Askel5]

I don't think all the sugar in the world will make lemonade out of hard green immature lemons. We can't break outside ourselves anymore and, still clinging hard to the tree, marriage ends up all about "our needs" ... a fulfilling of self rather than a union of two souls who form the strongest of human bonds: the family, which creates and forms new life.

"We" have simply been stunted in many ways and no longer have the means to discern, much less vouchsafe, the enduring ... particularly if it requires the sort of self-sacrifice which (unlike an hour at the gym each day or working overtime for a big fat check) does not result in immediate and self-gratifying results.

I'm a perfect example, actually. It's not just that I've still a weakness for Sydney Carton sorts, it's that -- largely thanks to the "just do it" peer pressure and utter moral void of the society in which I grew -- I've just made too many mistakes to deserve a Darnay.

[Brian Allen]

Soddom and Gommorroh and fire and brimstone in the same week. What a coincidence! < /sarcasm >