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Republican Randy Weber Introduces 'State Marriage Defense Act of 2014'


 H.R.3829 - State Marriage Defense Act of 2014
Read The Legislation

Representative Randy Weber, Republican (TX-14), writes in his official press release, "Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Randy Weber (TX-14) introduced important legislation which clarifies that the Federal Government’s implementation of current law in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor. The ‘State Marriage Defense Act’ will simply require federal agencies to look to a person’s legal residence when determining marital status and application of federal law. Representative Weber made the following statement below:

“The 10th Amendment was established to protect state sovereignty and individual rights from being seized by the Federal Government. For too long, however, the Federal Government has slowly been eroding state’s rights by promulgating rules and regulations through federal agencies.

I drafted the “State Marriage Defense Act of 2014” to help restore the 10th Amendment, affirm the authority of states to define and regulate marriage, as well as, provide clarity to federal agencies seeking to determine who qualifies as a spouse for the purpose of federal law. By requiring that the Federal Government defer to the laws of a person’s state of legal residence in determining marital status, we can protect states’ constitutionally established powers from the arbitrary overreach of unelected bureaucrats.”

Representative Weber’s legislation was introduced with 28 co-sponsors and is supported by Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, US Conference on Catholic Bishops, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action."

... and, yes, this is the same Republican Randy Weber that tweeted out the following on January 28, 2014, just prior to President Obama's State of the Union Address:


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Same-Sex Marriage and ChildrenSame-Sex Marriage and Children is the first book to bring together historical, social science, and legal considerations to comprehensively respond to the objections to same-sex marriage that are based on the need to promote so-called "responsible procreation" and child welfare. Carlos A. Ball places the current marriage debates within a broader historical context by exploring how the procreative and child welfare claims used to try to deny same-sex couples the opportunity to marry are similar to earlier arguments used to defend interracial marriage bans, laws prohibiting disabled individuals from marrying, and the differential treatment of children born out of wedlock. Ball also draws a link between welfare reform and same-sex marriage bans by explaining how conservative proponents have defended both based on the need for the government to promote responsible procreation among heterosexuals. 

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© 2014 Arizona Equality