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On Thursday, March 11, the House Ways and Means Committee voted largely
along party lines (16 – 8) to approve the proposed constitutional
amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples that had been approved
two days earlier by the House Civil Law Committee. One Republican, Ron
Erhardt of Edina, voted against the amendment, while one DFL member, Ann
Lenczewski of Bloomington, supported it. View the full text of the anti-marriage
bill.
According to the Star-Tribune, the bill is likely to head to the House
floor on March 22 or March 23. The Minnesota Family Council has already
announced an anti-marriage rally for March 22. Most observers believe
the proposal has sufficient support to pass in the House. Nonetheless,
OutFront Minnesota strongly encourages opponents of enshrining
discrimination to make their voices heard by contacting their
representatives and by participating in OutFront Minnesota's GLBT
Lobby Day on Thursday, March 25.
Register now - literally thousands
of people are needed to stop Minnesota's Anti-Marriage Amendment.
Pre-registration will greatly facilitate your effectiveness that day.
Also on March 11, Senator Michelle Bachmann (R – Stillwater) introduced
her companion bill (Senate File 2715) along identical lines as that
moving through the House; proposed constitutional amendments must be
approved by a majority of both chambers, and then by a majority of
voters. Analysts have suggested the Bachmann bill faces an "uncertain"
future in the Senate. In March 2003, the Senate Judiciary Committee
effectively killed efforts by Rep. Arlon Lindner (R – Corcoran) to strip
"sexual orientation" from every existing Minnesota statute. When a
Senate hearing on the Anti-Marriage Amendment is scheduled by the
Judiciary Committee, to which it has been referred, OutFront Minnesota
will announce that date and work to secure yet another full house that
day. |
