Arizona Marriage Amendment Update: Deja Vu For $200 Alex - By Mark R. Kerr

As previously reported, during the April 10 meeting of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee, the chair, state Representative Eddie Farnsworth, R-Mesa, offered a strike-everything amendment to SCR (Senate Concurrent Resolution) 1042, a measure that would have made March 29, “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day,” in Arizona if voters approved it as a non-paid holiday on the November general election ballot.

State Representative Farnsworth’s amendment, with the approval of the House Speaker, Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix, dumped the “Vietnam Veterans” and inserted a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot, defining marriage as between “one man and one woman,” the twelve-year-old state statutes and court decisions in Standhardt v. Superior Court in 2003-04 notwithstanding.

By a party-line vote, 6 Republicans in favor, four Democrats opposed, Farnsworth’s amendment to SCR 1042 was approved, so the quest to give Cathi Herrod and the anti-Gay, Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) a free handout in the range of $250,000 to $500,000 to place their “marriage proposal” on the ballot, instead of having them get the signatures, paid or otherwise as they did in 2006, continues as one would think but.

According to capital sources, on Thursday, April 17, 9:30 a.m., the House Judiciary Committee will be holding their meeting and on the agenda is SCR 1042 . . . for reconsideration.

Before one thinks that deja vu is happening or the Republicans developed a collective conscious, this reconsideration is due in part to the original drafters of the concurrent resolution over in the Senate because according to the same sources, there is a language problem with the original draft, which must be, get this, corrected and then state Representative Farnsworth can re-offer the amendment for consideration.

Happy that your tax dollars are being used and wasted on such bigotry and legislative screw-ups such as SCR 1042? Tell your state Representatives and Senator that enough is enough, no more wasting time when the state is facing such an economic crisis and to vote down SCR 1042 by going online here.