Iowa House Repubs start the process for an Anti-Gay Marriage Bill

House Republicans introduced a joint resolution that would start the process to ban same-sex marriage.

Here's the scoop:

Fifty-six of the 60 Republicans in the Iowa House are listed as sponsors of the bill. No Democrats have signed onto the bill as a sponsor. Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, is leading the resolution and said he offered it to all Republicans to sign as sponsors as well as some Democrats.   Democrats and the four Republicans declined to sign this version, he said.

The four Republicans who declined to sign are Reps Steve Lukan of New Vienna, Peter Cownie of West Des Moines, Scott Raecker of Urbandale and David Tjepkes of Gowrie.

Cownie said he declined to sign as a sponsor of the bill at the request of some constituents in his district.  However, he said that he would support the bill when it is voted on by the full House.

“I don’t treat it any differently than any other bills I don’t sponsor,” Cownie said. “It’s just my top priorities this year is the State Government committee as well as cutting the budget and putting Iowans back to work.”
The resolution says: “Marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal union valid or recognized in this state.”

If passed through the Legislature in two consecutive General Assemblies (each of which is two years), the resolution could be on the ballot as soon as 2013.

“This bill intends to forever strip basic protections from loving and committed gay couples,” said Carolyn Jenison, executive director of One Iowa, the state’s largest civil rights group focused on gay and lesbians.  “It goes against Iowa’s cherished tradition of protecting equal rights for all.  Now is the time for Iowans to come together and send a clear message to their legislators that discrimination has no place in Iowa’s Constitution. Our legislators should continue to uphold Iowa’s long-held value of equal rights for all.”

More to come...

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