Marriage Discrimination Amendment Has a Quiet Death at the Indiana State House

Proponents Use Special Legislative Session to Fundraise

The Marriage Discrimination Amendment – House Joint Resolution 3 – had a quiet death during the recently concluded special Session of the Indiana General Assembly. 

Authored by State Representatives Eric Turner (Republican – Marion) and David Cheatham (Democrat – North Vernon), HJR-3 was assigned to the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee which took no action on the proposal.  The proposal was one of nearly a dozen bills offered that had no relevance to the stated purpose of the special session -- to develop a new state budget.

While acknowledging the sole purpose of special session, the Indiana Family Institute (IFI), a chief proponent of the Marriage Discrimination Amendment, nonetheless advocated for introduction of the proposal.  Recognizing the extreme low possibility of passage, it can only be that IFI took this opportunity to fundraise – and at the expense of Hoosier taxpayers.

This attempt to put a discriminatory proposal in front of the real needs of Indiana citizens demonstrated IFI lack of understanding about our state’s priorities – funding the essential services and activities of the State of Indiana.  At the same time, introduction of the proposal ignores reality – Indiana already has a state law defining marriage as between one man and one woman – and attempts to sound the alarm about a problem that simply does not exist in Indiana.

Indiana Equality Action thanks the Indiana House of Representatives for rejecting such nonsense.  Take a few moment to thank your own State Representative by calling 800-382-9842.