Tex. bill would bar local officials from issuing same-sex-marriage licenses
Texas Republicans are pushing legislation to bar local officials from granting same-sex couples licenses to marry, launching a preemptive strike against a possible U.S. Supreme Court ruling next month that could declare gay marriage legal.
Supporters of the measure, which is scheduled for a vote as soon as Tuesday in the Texas House, said it would send a powerful message to the court. Taking a cue from the anti-abortion movement, they said they also hoped to keep any judicially sanctioned right to same-sex marriage tied up in legal battles for years to come.
The measure, by Rep. Cecil Bell, a Republican from the outskirts of Houston, would prohibit state and local officials from using taxpayer dollars to issue, enforce, or recognize a marriage license .?.?. for a union other than a union between one man and one woman.
Bell said the bill simply preserves state sovereignty over marriage.
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This is simply an example of what is to come!