Indiana lawmakers
who oppose same-sex marriage said Monday they would
launch another effort to ban such unions with a
constitutional amendment, reports TheIndianapolis Star.
Dave Cheatham, a
Democrat, and Rep. Eric Turner, a
Republican, said they would both sponsor measures with
identical language in the house, and GOP senator
Marlin Stutzman said he would sponsor legislation in
the senate.
But prospects of
the initiative passing both chambers this session seemed
dismal. Democratic house speaker Patrick Bauer suggested
that a constitutional ban was not necessary since
Indiana already has a law prohibiting gay marriage.
Bauer said judges
had been upholding that law and that proponents of the
amendment "must have living proof that that
law's not being followed ... we certainly don't
want to waste the public's time when we have the
critical duties that we have."
Though both
chambers of the state legislature passed a constitutional
ban in 2005 while under Republican control, state
rules dictate that an amendment must pass two
separately elected legislatures before being put to a
statewide referendum. The measure stalled when Democrats
took control of the House in 2006.
According the
Star, the proposed amendment reads:
"Only a marriage between one (1) man and one (1)
woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in
Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially
similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall
not be valid or recognized." (Advocate.com)
