DES MOINES — The Iowa Senate Republican leader said Monday he believes the Iowa Legislature has to begin the process of giving the people a vote on a marriage amendment to the state constitution to avoid a “redo” of the anti-retention effort that ousted three Iowa Supreme Court justices in last week’s election.
“That is an issue where the people overwhelmingly said we want to have a say in this,” said Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, who was re-affirmed as GOP caucus leader Monday after Republicans picked up six seats to tighten Democrats’ majority to a 26-24 edge pending official results of vote canvasses in two close races.
McKinley said voter frustration over majority Democrats’ refusal to allow the legislature to consider a resolution on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman resulted in the focus shifting to the three justices up for retention. The justices were part of a unanimous 2009 decision that ruled a state Defense of Marriage law unconstitutional — paving the way for civil marriages for couples of the same gender.
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Complete article at Quad City Times : http://bit.ly/bxwaQX
