Text of MD SB 673 (2004)

SENATE BILL 673 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT Unofficial Copy 2004 Regular Session D4 4lr2546 CF HB 16 ____________________________________________________________________________________ By: Senators Colburn, Hooper, Hafer, Harris, Jacobs, Mooney, Stoltzfus, and Stone Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2004 Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings _____________________________________________________________________________________ A BILL ENTITLED 1 AN ACT concerning 2 Valid Marriages 3 FOR the purpose of adding a new section to the Maryland Constitution to establish 4 that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in this State; and 5 submitting this amendment to the qualified voters of the State of Maryland for 6 their adoption or rejection. 7 BY proposing an addition to the Constitution of Maryland 8 Article XV - Miscellaneous 9 Section 8 10 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 11 MARYLAND, (Three-fifths of all the members elected to each of the two Houses 12 concurring), That it be proposed that the Constitution of Maryland read as follows: 13 Article XV - Miscellaneous 14 8. 15 ONLY A MARRIAGE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN IS VALID IN THIS STATE. 16 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the General Assembly 17 determines that the amendment to the Constitution of Maryland proposed by this Act 18 affects multiple jurisdictions and that the provisions of Article XIV, § 1 of the 19 Maryland Constitution concerning local approval of constitutional amendments do 20 not apply. 21 SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the aforegoing section 22 proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of Maryland shall be submitted to the 23 legal and qualified voters of this State at the next general election to be held in 24 November, 2004 for their adoption or rejection in pursuance of directions contained in 25 Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution. At that general election, the vote on this 26 proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be by ballot, and upon each ballot 27 there shall be printed the words "For the Constitutional Amendment" and "Against 28 the Constitutional Amendment," as now provided by law. Immediately after the 2 SENATE BILL 673 1 election, all returns shall be made to the Governor of the vote for and against the 2 proposed amendment, as directed by Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution, and 3 further proceedings had in accordance with Article XIV.