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March 20th - One day before the Minnesota Family Council's
planned rally at the State Capitol in favor of a proposed amendment to
the Minnesota constitution that would ban any form of legal recognition
of same-sex couples, senators supporting the amendment forced two
procedural votes designed to short-circuit Senate rules for handling
bills, including constitutional amendments.
In a first vote, senators turned back by a 34-31 tally a demand by Sen.
Michele Bachmann (R - Stillwater) that the bill,
SF 1691 be pulled from the Senate Judiciary Committee and be brought
to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.
A second move, sponsored by Sean Nienow (R - Cambridge), proposed a new
constitutional amendment, identical to Sen. Bachmann's, and also
insisted that it be put to an immediate vote by the full Senate. This
effort was defeated by a 35-30 vote.
These proposals to simply ignore the rules of the Senate managed to eat
up some three hours of the Senate calendar. In the end, both proposals
were defeated, outcomes that OutFront Minnesota supports
strongly. Vote count: each DFL Senator (and Independence Party Sen.
Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester) voted against these proposals except
Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL - Tracy), and each Republican Senator voted for
these proposals. DFL Sens. Mee Moua and Leroy Stumpf were absent and did
not vote. Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL - Granite Falls) inadvertently voted in
favor of Sen. Bachmann's proposal, but voted against Sen. Nienow's,
which explains the inconsistent vote tallies above.
Take Action!
If you have not contacted your state senator yet to register your
opposition to SF 1691, a proposal that would mandate permanent
second-class citizenship for same-sex couples in Minnesota by
withholding any form of legal recognition of their families, this is
the time. Senators who stood with us on these votes, including Sen.
Kubly, need to be thanked for taking a courageous stand against those
who insist on amending our constitution, for the first time, to single
out a group of people for unequal treatment. Senators who supported
these procedural moves need to be reminded that their constituents do
not support them. Sens. Moua and Stumpf should be thanked for their
historic support for OutFront Minnesota's position on the constitutional
amendment proposal, and encouraged to stay strong in the face of
relentless attacks by amendment supporters.
- A
complete list of senators, where their phone numbers, email
addresses, and addresses is quickly available.
- Don't know who your state senator is? You can find your
legislative district as well as contact information by using our
district finder.
- You can also view our voting records to find
out how all of the legislators voted.
Don't forget to attend the
People of Faith
Rally at the Capitol this Thursday the 23rd from 8-9am. Wake up
early and be counted!
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