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The full Indiana House in a bipartisan vote just effectively killed an anti-gay marriage bill — at least for now. The House voted 52-43 to approve an amendment to HJR3, a bill that would ask voters in November if they want to change the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Because changing a constitution is a sacred act, two separate but consecutive Indiana legislatures have to vote to make the change, and they have to vote for and pass the exact same bill.
Tonight’s passage of the amendment would, naturally, alter the bill, and therefore they have not approved the same bill twice.
For today, at least, the people of Indiana have been spared being marked as anti-gay.
Very likely the entire process for #HJR3 is restarted.
— govtracker (@govtracker) January 27, 2014
Already, for the past few weeks, many corporations, universities, organizations, and individuals have warned that passage of the amendment, or worse, the actual writing of discrimination into the constitution, would force many to leave the state.
Rep. Eric Turner, the sponsor of the bill, had pleaded with the House to defeat the amendment.
This is a staggering defeat for Indiana’s most-conservaitve Republicans, including Speaker Brian Bosma, who worked hard to juggle the bill into different committees in order for it to come to the full House floor.
With the removal of the 2nd sentence, #HJR3 will likely NOT go to the ballot in November. This is a huge win for freedom & liberty! #INLegis
— Freedom Indiana (@freedom_indiana) January 27, 2014
The Senate could vote for the original bill, and send it over to the House, which could then vote to pass it.
There are a lot of “coulds” there.
If Senate did put second sentence back in #HJR3 then author Turner could concur. Senate version would then go to full House for a vote.
— Tony Cook (@indystartony) January 27, 2014