Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Vote on federal marriage amendment scheduled for Wednesday in US Senate Judiciary Sub-Committee

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From 365gay.com News: Senate Sub-Committee To Vote On Anti-Gay Amendment by Paul Johnson 365Gay.com Washington Bureau Chief Posted: November 8, 2005 9:00 pm ET (Washington) Senate Judiciary Committee chair Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Tuesday that he will vote in favor of moving forward an amendment to the Constitution to prevent same-sex couples from marrying even though he opposes the measure. The proposed amendment is scheduled for a vote in the judiciary sub-committee on Wednesday. Specter said that despite his personal opposition to the bill he believes it should go to the Senate floor for a vote. "I do not think it ought to be bottled up in subcommittee or committee," Specter said. The amendment is sponsored in the Senate by Sam Brownback (R-Kan). Brownback, expected to be a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, is chair of the sub-committee. He said that he hoped the amendment would come to a vote in both the full Senate and House prior to the 2006 mid term elections Attempts by Republicans in Congress to pass the proposed amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman failed last year. (story) The measure was reintroduced in January. (story) A House version was reintroduced in March. Called the "Marriage Protection Act," the amendment defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Democrats say the proposed amendment is not needed. The Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by then President Bill Clinton prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. Brownback has made passage of the bill a key issue in this session of the Senate - a move seen by analysts on Capitol Hill as an attempt to garner support among conservatives for his presidential aspirations. But, even though Specter will vote for the amendment in the sub-committee he is coy about it's chances in the full Judiciary Committee, refusing to say when the committee will take it up. "We have a very full agenda, but I'll get to it as soon as I can," Specter told the Patriot-News. Original source: click here