Twenty-eight Republicans have signed on
as co-sponsors to Kansas Representative Tim Huelskamp's proposed
federal gay marriage ban.
The resolution (House Joint Resolution
51) has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Within hours after the Supreme Court
knocked down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and cleared the way
for same-sex marriages to resume in California, Huelskamp called on
his GOP colleagues to join him in approving an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution which would prohibit federal and state governments from
recognizing the unions of gay couples with marriage.
“If the courts don't understand their
limited role here, then we need a federal marriage amendment to
protect traditional marriage,” Huelskamp told the Christian
Broadcasting News. “Not just for marriage and the couples but for
our children.”
“I will introduce the federal
marriage amendment perhaps later this week and call upon all my
fellow Republicans, who just a few years ago said they were for
marriage or voted for marriage or supported those efforts in their
state legislatures, for them to step up and say, 'Marriage is so
important we need a marriage amendment now.'”
Co-sponsors include Representatives Joe
Barton of Texas, Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, Mo Brooks of Alabama,
Paul Broun of Georgia, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, John Fleming of
Louisiana, Trent Franks of Arizona, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Ralph
Hall of Texas, Andy Harris of Maryland, Randy Hultgren of Illinois,
Sam Johnson of Texas, Walter Jones, Jr. of North Carolina, Jim Jordan
of Ohio, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mark Meadows of North Carolina,
Randy Neugebauer of Texas, Steven Palazzo of Mississippi, Stevan
Pearce of New Mexico, Robert Pittenger of North Carolina, Joseph
Pitts of Pennsylvania, David Schweikert of Arizona, Bill Shuster of
Pennsylvania, Christopher Smith of New Jersey, Steven Stockman of
Texas, Tim Walberg of Michigan, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and
Frank Wolf of Virginia.
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution
requires a two-thirds majority in each house of Congress and
ratification by three-fourths of the states – thresholds most
likely too high for the amendment to gain any traction.
“With 54 senators and 185
representatives on record in support of marriage equality, threshold
is impossible,” wrote
ThinkProgress.com's Josh Israel.