Texas politicians draft law to ignore Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage
Texan Republicans are planning even more laws that will prevent same-sex marriages in the state.
The US Supreme Court decision on overturning same-sex marriage bans across the country is expected in June.
But politicians in Texas – already notorious for proposing more anti-LGBT laws than any other state last year – have decided they will do their best ignore the Supreme Court.
All but nine House Republicans has co-sponsored a bill that would prevent any state funds being used “for an activity that includes the licensing or support of a same-sex marriage.”
It also states “A state or local governmental employee may not recognize, grant, or enforce a same-sex marriage license.”
Representative Cecil Bell, who proposed the bill, told TPM the bill was intended to protect Texas’ “sovereignty”.
He said: “We as Texans have a sovereign right to define and regulate marriage.
“I don’t believe that this bill puts anyone in a lesser position than what they were in before. What this does is codify Texas law.”
Civil rights lawyer Rebecca Robertson told the Texas Observer: “The last time that we saw similar efforts to undermine court rulings about what the Constitution requires was when Southern states attempted to use the power of the purse to avoid having to comply with federal court orders ordering school desegregation.
“Those tactics were rejected, but obviously it took years of litigation to get to that point. [This bill] is trying to do the same kind of end run around the Constitution.”
In March, the Attorney General of Texas sued the US government over having to grant equal benefits to same-sex spouses of state employees.
