An anti-gay marriage amendment died Wednesday night in the Texas Senate, joining more than 20 other pieces of anti-LGBT legislation that failed to pass this year.
Recognizing they wouldn't have time to take up the amendment, Republican senators hastily introduced a non-binding resolution in opposition to same-sex marriage. The resolution is along the lines of a letter issued by the House Republican Caucus earlier this month.
The Texas Tribune reports:
The body's 20 Republican senators and state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, voted for Senate Resolution 1028, authored by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, that affirmed "the present definition" of marriage in the state.
“This resolution is intended by those of us who signed it to demonstrate that we continue to support what the people of this state have expressed," state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said.
State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa was among several Democrats who criticized the amendment. Hinojosa suggested Republicans were discriminating against gay people, including his own daughter.
During debate on the resolution, Lucio announced he'd withdraw the bill containing an amendment designed to undermine a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. From the Associated Press:
The Senate deadline for passing bills was midnight Wednesday. But with less than four hours to go – likely enough time for Democrats to run out the clock if the bill came up – the proposal was dropped. Republicans instead only passed a resolution that reaffirmed their belief of marriage being between a man and a woman.
"Good legislation was sacrificed, but appropriately so to see this language fail," said Democratic state Rep. Garnet Coleman, whose unrelated bill was used by the Senate to carry the marriage-license amendment. "It is offensive to my constituents, it's offensive to me, and it's offensive to our constitution."
The Texas legislative session, which saw the most anti-LGBT proposals in the history of any state, doesn't officially end until Monday. But with the death of the anti-gay marriage amendment, the LGBT community appeared to be out of the woods:
Senator Lucio pulls down #HB2977 that contained the "deny the Supreme Court" language. With that, hopefully the last of…
Posted by Equality Texas on Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Having no force of law and with anti-LGBT bills dead for the session, this was just a petty swipe at LGBT Texans. #txlege
— Tx Freedom Network (@TFN) May 28, 2015
