Politics & Government
Simon: Don’t Remove Marriage from State Law
The Hopkins and St. Louis Park legislator said problems would arise if state law only referred to civil unions.
Unlike so many other same-sex marriage supporters, Hopkins and St. Louis Park Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 46B) called Rep. Tim Kelly (R-District 21A) “a friend.” But that didn’t make Simon any more likely to support Kelly’s proposal to remove the term “marriage” from state law for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.
Simon said Kelly’s amendment to a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage would end marriage for 2.2 million Minnesotans.
“This amendment would say they are no longer married,” Simon said on the House floor.
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He said the measure from Kelly—who was one of the few Republicans to oppose last year’s marriage amendment—was well intentioned but that it would cause real problems, such as difficulties calculating benefits on the federal level which doesn’t recognize civil unions.
Kelly, who campaigned against the marriage amendment, faced stiff criticism from same-sex marriage supporters because of his proposal.
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His amendment failed 111-22.
The full bill passed 75-59.
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