Thursday, July 23, 2009

CA Bill Proposes Marriage Recognition

Out California senator Mark Leno introduced a bill that could lead to the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages. Senate Bill 54 faces strong opposition from lawmakers who say voters have already defined marriage in the republic.

Further attempts at equality, they say, try to undermine the voice of voters and the democratic process more broadly.

Leno, however, said that because the state's supreme court upheld the estimated 18,000 marriages performed before the ban and explicitly refused to outline a policy relating to out-of-state marriages, the responsibility of legislative clarification falls to the legislature. According to The Sacramento Bee, the bill passed along party lines in the assembly's judiciary committee with seven Democrats supporting and three Republicans against.

It must now go to the assembly floor for a full vote before it heads to the senate.

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