Norton Says DC Wins 6-0 in Congressional Attempts to Overturn Marriage Equality Bill (10/25/2010)

Norton Says D.C. Wins 6-0 in Congressional Attempts to Overturn Marriage Equality Bill

WASHINGTON, DC -Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked her Senate allies, once again, for defeating an attempted end run around the District's recently-enacted marriage equality law by Sen. Robert S. Bennett and several of his Republican colleagues through a proposed amendment on the Health Care Reform reconciliation bill. The Congresswoman has worked with leadership and other allies in the House and Senate to defeat six attempts, so far, to repeal the District's marriage equality bill, and she says she remains on guard duty. "I alerted residents, from the beginning of this fight, to expect the Republicans to keep trying to preempt the D.C. Council. Whenever a bill leaves the District for review, "review" is all Congress is morally entitled to do. In our system of government, the national legislature has no business intruding into local laws, and the Council's historic marriage equality law should be no exception. The District, once again, has lived up to its heritage of promoting and defending equal rights for our LGBT residents, and for others who experience discrimination."

Bennett's amendment, cosponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), David Vitter (R-La.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), sought to suspend the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the District of Columbia until the District held a referendum. Bennett tried to attach his amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration bill last month, but it was not voted on. In this latest attempt, Bennett's amendment was ruled out of order after a vote to waive the rules. It failed, 36-59, 24 votes short of the 60 needed to waive the rules. "Once Sen. Bennett had satisfied his own political purposes by introducing the amendment, he had done all that he set out to do - until next time. We'll continue to be ready for him," Norton said.