HJR 3 will go to the Senate Floor for a vote, reading as follows:
SECTION 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of the State of Indiana is proposed and agreed to by this, the One Hundred Eighteenth General Assembly of the State of Indiana, and is referred to the next General Assembly for reconsideration and agreement.
SECTION 2. ARTICLE 1 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 38. Only a marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana.
That first section adds a further layer of protection to the common wisdom that this version of the Constitutional amendment would not have been eligible for the ballot in 2014. The version passed by the 117th General Assembly was different in that it had the second sentence about not recognizing a legal status for unmarried people substantially similar to that of married people. Even though the first sentence remains the same, the amendment is a different beast with the second sentence than without it. The first sentence referring the proposed amendment to the 119th General Assembly pretty well cements the common wisdom.
Of course, if the Senate votes down the amendment even in this revised form, we could be done with this issue — possibly for good. Wishful thinking, I presume.
Indiana: where a civil rights victory means putting off a vote to discriminate for two more years.
When’s the last time so many celebrated so much simply because they didn’t slide backward any further?
It’s possible that wingnut senators, in a hissyfit, vote down the measure BECAUSE it doesn’t include the second sentence. Not probable, but possible. Of course, this is all pointless posturing, anyway, and the legislators know it, given that EVERY court is striking down bans. Meanwhile, in Kansas, the anti-gay legislation is being turned up to 11.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/13/anti-gay-jim-crow-comes-to-kansas.html
I guess the primitive ideologues in Kansas weren’t happy going down in history with one big discrimination case, Brown vs. Board of Education. They want to refresh peoples’ memories and cement their place in history with a 2-fer.
Check out Delph’s twitter, @MikeDelph as he becomes unhinged (more than usual) about this vote.
One would hope that Delph realized this morning that a Twitter tirade is like yelling at people driving by with a bullhorn.
Before this event, people in northwest Indiana had no idea who Delph was. Now they are reading his rants and craziness in the Northwest Indiana Times. They are beginning to discover who is in the box they call the “General Assembly” and it’s quite a surprise. Maybe the editors should dig up some of the weird legislation he’s proposed to help them get a clearer idea.
So question: First possible year for eligibility to be on the ballot? Is it 2016 as most people have been thinking, or is it 2015 with the municipal general election ballot? Big difference in voter turnout and make-up depending on the answer.