NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee Republican lawmaker’s push to create a brand new marriage contract particularly designed to exclude same-sex {couples} is lifeless for this 12 months’s annual legislative session amid considerations from each Republicans and Democrats.
Rep. Tom Leatherwood moved the laws to summer time research with the vote of a Home committee Wednesday, successfully killing it in the course of the lawmaking session that’s anticipated to conclude within the upcoming weeks. Critics decried the invoice as an effort to bypass the Supreme Courtroom’s 2015 ruling legalizing homosexual marriage, arguing it might have led to pricey authorized battles.
The invoice additionally gained nationwide consideration as a result of it initially failed to incorporate a minimal age — an omission that has opened the door to widespread mockery. Some fear the transfer helped reinforce stereotypes relating to Tennessee as backward.
The invoice’s Republican sponsors downplayed considerations that the age omission would have resulted in a wave of kid marriages, however they wound up introducing an modification that may incorporate an age requirement of 18 or older. Supporters argued the measure was wanted to offer spiritual officers, {couples} and others against homosexual marriage an choice that would not battle with their beliefs.
“There are nonetheless a number of honest considerations about this invoice, in addition to a number of misinformation about this invoice,” Leatherwood instructed the committee.
The laws would have allowed opposite-sex {couples} to fill out marriage “contracts” primarily based on frequent legislation marriage rules, saying the contract would solely apply to “one man and one girl.” Usually, frequent legislation marriage refers back to the authorized protections of marriage given to {couples} who stay collectively as a married couple, however who have not gotten a state marriage license.
Simply eight states permit frequent legislation marriages, in accordance with the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures, and Tennessee is not certainly one of them. It is a observe that in America has dated again to Colonial instances when it was typically troublesome to discover a preacher to solemnize a wedding.
The proposal introduced up a number of considerations.
Final week, Republican Rep. Johnny Garrett, who’s an lawyer, instructed fellow lawmakers that as a result of {couples} would not should file the contract with the state, {couples} would doubtless be unable to assert advantages and be denied rights sometimes given to married {couples}. He additionally identified that there is nothing prohibiting people from getting into into a number of contracts, warning that lawmakers might be legalizing polygamy.
Leatherwood amended the invoice Wednesday to make submitting the contracts a requirement, not an choice. Nonetheless, it nonetheless did not quell worries in regards to the proposal.
“I do know I expressed some considerations final week,” Garrett mentioned. “These considerations are nonetheless there.”
Moreover, Republican Senate Speaker Randy McNally instructed reporters final week that he would not assist the laws as a result of lingering constitutional issues.