For Immediate Release
4/15/08

Contact:

David Atkinson
(717) 787-6535
 

Senate Appropriations Committee To Hold Public Hearing On Proposed Constitutional Amendment Defining Marriage

Senate Appropriations Chairman Gib Armstrong has set an April 29th public hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage.  Senate Bill 1250, which is on the Senate calendar, must go through the Appropriations Committee before it can be voted by the full Senate.

Senate Republican leaders committed to holding an additional public hearing when the bill was considered and approved by the Judiciary Committee.  This will be the third public hearing held by the Senate, with the Judiciary Committee having conducted the first two.

"Amending the state Constitution is a serious step.  The feeling is that the advocates and opponents of the proposed amendment deserve another chance to make their points and present their interpretations of the impact, in advance of a Senate vote," Armstrong said.

"The hearing is not meant to delay a vote or derail the proposal.  This issue was debated and voted on during the previous legislative session, so the majority of legislators have taken a position on it," he noted.

The public hearing will be held in the Capitol East Wing, Room 8E-A, beginning at 9 a.m.

It is anticipated that the Appropriations Committee will then take action on Senate Bill 1250 at a subsequent meeting.

Proposed constitutional amendments are referred to the Appropriations Committee for a fiscal note because of the costs of advertising the amendment.  A proposed constitutional amendment must be advertised for ninety days before the general election each time it is passed by the General Assembly, which makes mid-summer the effective deadline for legislative action.

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