Saturday, June 8, 2002

A story published today by the Daily Register reports that U.S. Rep. David Phelps of Eldorado, Illinois is one of six original co-sponsors of a bill designed to amend the U.S. Constitution to contain language defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman, today explained the bill at several stops in his district.

HJRes93, also known as the Federal Marriage Act, was introduced May 15, 2002 by U.S. Rep. Ronnie Shows (D-Miss.) In addition to giving a constitutional definition of marriage, it contains the language, "Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups."

"The proposed amendment to the Constitution represents the deep public consensus that the union between a man and a woman provides the best atmosphere for families and children," Phelps said.

"Protecting that sacred union will help rectify social problems caused by family disintegration."

"Taking the drastic step of amending the Constitution to protect marriage is necessary for the renewal of a marriage-based culture in the United States," Phelps added.

"People who live outside the boundaries of traditional marriage should not be able to redefine what marriage means to everyone else."

In addition to Shows and Phelps, bipartisan co-sponsorship of the bill include Reps. Ralph Hall (D-Texas), Sue Myrick (R-N.Car.), Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.) and Chris Cannon (R-Utah).