Proposed Marriage Legislation Would Work to Further Deconstruct Families

This post is reprinted from April 23, 2013, http://www.citizenlink.com/2013/04/23/lawmakers-in-5-states-consider-same-sex-marriage-legislation/ and provides the latest information on state marriage legislation.

Lawmakers in 5 States Consider Same-Sex Marriage Legislation

by Bethany Monk

As lawmakers in five states are considering bills that would redefine marriage, a poll shows a majority of Americans support the institution as a union between one man and one woman. It found 57 percent of likely voters in states where same-sex marriage is not recognized would oppose such a measure. Thirty-four people said they would support it. Harper Polling conducted the automated phone survey last week of 1,741 likely voters for Conservative Intelligence Briefing.

“The poll reflects what we know, that most people understand that marriage unites a man and a woman and any children they will have,” said Jeff Johnston, CitizenLink marriage analyst. “They look around and understand that all our experiments with marriage — no-fault divorce, cohabitation, single-parenting — have been disastrous. They’ve learned from that and don’t want to try yet another experiment with marriage.”
Legislators in five states are considering marriage redefinition bills:

• Delaware: The House approved a bill today that could create same-sex marriage. It would still have to be passed by the Senate and signed into law. Under the legislation, no new civil unions would be performed after July 1, and existing civil unions would be converted to marriages.
• Rhode Island: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 today to send a same-sex marriage bill to the full Senate. The House approved the bill in January. It would create same-sex marriage. Civil unions would become marriages on Jan. 1, 2014.
• Illinois: The Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill on Feb. 14. A date has not been set for the full House vote on the legislation.
• Minnesota: Legislation that would create same-sex marriage has not yet reached the floors of the House or Senate. A bipartisan group of legislators introduced the bill in February. It would repeal a 1997 law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.  Regent graduate Autumn Levy is working with legislators to maintain marriage.
• Nevada: Lawmakers passed a resolution Monday in the Senate that could redefine marriage. If the entire Legislature approves it this session, they will need to do so again in 2015. Voters would have to approve it in 2016.

The District of Columbia and nine states — Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, Washington, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York — have all redefined marriage.

Thirty-one states have amendments defending marriage.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONView the poll results.
Learn more about Delaware’s HB 75.
Learn more about Rhode Island’s H 5015.
Learn more about Illinois’ SB 0010.
Learn more about Minnesota’s HF 1054. 
Learn more about Nevada’s SJR 13.

****

A great deal of scholarship by Professor Kohm is on the significance of marriage to family strength. It all can be accessed on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at http://ssrn.com/author=183817. Law is more than a profession - it's a calling.... and Regent students, professors, and graduates are working to make a difference.