Indiana lawmakers in the House and Senate on Thursday announced they have delayed a vote on a proposed gay marriage ban.

Republican state Representative Eric Turner's proposed constitutional amendment seeks to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. Lawmakers approved the amendment in 2011 but a second vote is needed before it can go on the ballot.

Republican leaders said they are apprehensive about acting on the issue before the Supreme Court rules on it but did not rule out the possibility of a vote next year.

Marc Solomon, national campaign director at Freedom to Marry, called the decision “encouraging.”

“It's encouraging to see Indiana's leaders making this choice, because limiting the freedom to marry is never in the best interest of a state, its residents, or its businesses,” Solomon said in a statement. “Just as corporate allies like Eli Lilly and Cummings stood against this amendment, Freedom to Marry will continue to press for actions that take us forward, not backward, on marriage. This announcement gives the people of Indiana some much-needed time to have important conversations about marriage and freedom. As they do, we are confident that lawmakers of both parties will recognize that permanently eliminating the freedom to marry in the state constitution is wrong for Indiana's families.”

A December WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier Survey found only 38 percent of respondents support the amendment.