Gay marriage ban initiative resurfaces

State lawmakers are going to get another chance to decide whether voters should have a chance to ban gay marriage.

By a 6-4 margin, the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to constitutionally define marriage in Arizona as being solely between one man and one woman. SCR1042 now goes to the full House.

Lawmakers there approved the bill a week earlier — but not before Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, tacked on an amendment to also guarantee certain rights to unmarried couples living together, whether gay or straight, like inheritance and hospital visitation.

That made the now-amended measure unacceptable to those who simply want to ban same-sex weddings and the bill was shelved.

Sinema still has the opportunity to try to amend this new version when it comes to the House floor next week. But foes of what she wants to do said that some of their supporters, who were absent for last week’s vote, will be available to defeat the change this time.

If the House passes the measure it still needs Senate approval and, ultimately, ratification by voters in November.

Voters rejected a similar measure in 2006.

But Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, which opposes gay nuptials, said she believes that was because it also would have barred the Legislature and courts from permitting civil unions and prohibited government agencies from extending health care and other benefits to domestic partners of public employees. This new measure deals only with gay marriage.

Polls before the 2006 election showed most Arizonans don’t believe in state-recognized same-sex marriages. But they also showed most were unwilling to constitutionally bar any type of recognition or benefit to unmarried couples.