BREAKING: Two Arizona Reps Co-Sponsor Constitutional "Marriage Protection Amendment" Banning Same Sex Marriage

Two of Arizona's four Republican Congressmen have signed on to co-sponsor a new "Marriage Protection Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution (text below), in the wake of last week's Supreme Court decisions overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act and letting stand an injunction against Arizona's decision to eliminate health benefits for same sex partners of state workers.

Reps. David Schweikert (R-CD6) and Trent Franks (R-CD8) are among the 29 Republicans seeking to amend the U.S. Constitution to define "marriage" as "only... the union of a man and a woman" and stating that "(N)either this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." (full text below)

Schweikert issued no public statements following last week's Supreme Court decisions, but Franks blasted the Court with the following statement on his Facebook page:

Rather than confining themselves to their Constitutional duty of deciding cases, the Supreme Court has more and more become the default arbiter of all major issues in America. If the American people allow this trend to continue, we can board up the Capitol and White House and send the people and their elected representatives home to henceforth live and breathe at the pleasure of a tyrannical judicial oligarchy.

Society as a whole has long granted special privileges to traditional marriages to encourage and empower parents to remain committed to one another and to their children; and ultimately to ensure stronger families and a stronger nation. Incontrovertible data indicates that, in nearly all major indicators of life success, children raised in a traditional family structure significantly outperform their contemporaries raised in other family structures. The decision by the Supreme Court today will undermine the traditional family and its irreplaceable contribution to society, and history will mark and will hold those advocating and responsible for this decision accountable for its inevitable consequences to this and coming generations.

Primary sponsor of House Joint Resolution 51, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), used very similar language yesterday in his interview on NBC's Meet the Press.

***

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein),

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This joint resolution may be cited as the `Marriage Protection Amendment'.

SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

The following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

`Article--

`Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.'.

***
H.J.RES.51 
Latest Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. 
Sponsor: Rep Huelskamp, Tim [KS-1] (introduced 6/28/2013)      Cosponsors (28) 
Latest Major Action: 6/28/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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COSPONSORS(28), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Barton, Joe [TX-6] - 6/28/2013
Rep Bridenstine, Jim [OK-1] - 6/28/2013
Rep Brooks, Mo [AL-5] - 6/28/2013
Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] - 6/28/2013
Rep Duncan, Jeff [SC-3] - 6/28/2013
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] - 6/28/2013
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-8] - 6/28/2013
Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1] - 6/28/2013
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] - 6/28/2013
Rep Harris, Andy [MD-1] - 6/28/2013
Rep Hultgren, Randy [IL-14] - 6/28/2013
Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] - 6/28/2013
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 6/28/2013
Rep Jordan, Jim [OH-4] - 6/28/2013
Rep Lankford, James [OK-5] - 6/28/2013
Rep Meadows, Mark [NC-11] - 6/28/2013
Rep Neugebauer, Randy [TX-19] - 6/28/2013
Rep Palazzo, Steven M. [MS-4] - 6/28/2013
Rep Pearce, Stevan [NM-2] - 6/28/2013
Rep Pittenger, Robert [NC-9] - 6/28/2013
Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16] - 6/28/2013
Rep Schweikert, David [AZ-6] - 6/28/2013
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] - 6/28/2013
Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] - 6/28/2013
Rep Stockman, Steve [TX-36] - 6/28/2013
Rep Walberg, Tim [MI-7] - 6/28/2013
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] - 6/28/2013
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] - 6/28/2013

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