Minn. Lawmakers Push For Vote On Gay Marriage Ban
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Republicans newly in charge of the Legislature outlined plans Tuesday to put a gay marriage ban before Minnesota voters in 2012, plunking a charged issue into a session that has so far been dominated mainly by a projected $5 billion deficit.
Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, and several colleagues announced the legislation at a news conference, where Limmer promised a hearing for the bill in his judiciary panel by the end of the week. Limmer and other sponsors declined to predict how soon the proposal could come to the floor of either chamber.
Similar bills have failed in past years when Democrats had the majority in at least one legislative chamber. But Republicans took control of the entire Legislature this year for the first time in 38 years. Constitutional amendments require only legislative approval to go before voters in Minnesota, where the governor doesn't have the power to block ballot questions.
"We want to bring this to the people," said Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud. "People have indicated they would like the opportunity to define marriage. They don't want to leave it up to the courts. They don't want to leave it even up to lawmakers."
The November 2012 election will feature a presidential election and a U.S. Senate race for the seat held by Democrat Amy Klobuchar. All 201 state lawmakers will also be on the ballot.
The Legislature can wait until next year to act, and still put the question before voters.
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton said he opposes the move, but doesn't have the power to stop it.
"Binding future generations from making their own reasonable decisions about what they think is appropriate is a big mistake," he told reporters at a separate news conference.
Democratic lawmakers said the proposal is a distraction from the budget mess. Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, predicted that religious groups would spend tens of millions of dollars to try to pass a gay marriage ban, while gay rights supporters would raise an amount in the millions to try to defeat it.
"Especially during this time of economic difficulty and crisis, how does this help a single family in Minnesota?" Dibble said.
Social conservatives hailed the move. Tom Prichard, who heads the Minnesota Family Council, said the legislation doesn't ask lawmakers to determine the definition of marriage.
"They are simply being asked to let the people decide the marriage issue," he said.
Gay rights groups held out hope of heading off a legislative vote on the proposal, but said they would appeal to voters' sense of fairness if the question makes it to the ballot.
"That really is about asking people to vote on their neighbors," said Monica Meyer, who heads the group OutFront Minnesota.
The legislation would ask voters, "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?"
State voters given the chance to vote on gay marriage have never defeated a ban. Thirty states have constitutional prohibitions against same-sex marriage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Minnesota already has a law on the books prohibiting same-sex marriages, but a constitutional amendment is harder to overturn. The state also doesn't recognize gay marriages performed in other states or countries.
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