Text of RI S 687 (2007)

2007 -- S 0687 ======= LC00579 ======= S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2007 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS -- PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO MARRY Introduced By: Senator Leo R. Blais Date Introduced: February 15, 2007 Referred To: Senate Judiciary It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Sections 15-1-1 and 15-1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 15-1 entitled 1 "Persons Eligible to Marry" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2 15-1-1. Men forbidden to marry kindred. Men forbidden to marry kindred or 3 another man. -- No man shall marry his mother, grandmother, daughter, son's daughter, 4 daughter's daughter, stepmother, grandfather's wife, son's wife, son's son's wife, daughter's son's 5 wife, wife's mother, wife's grandmother, wife's daughter, wife's son's daughter, wife's daughter's 6 daughter, sister, brother's daughter, sister's daughter, father's sister, or mother's sister. or another 7 man. 8 15-1-2. Women forbidden to marry kindred. Women forbidden to marry kindred 9 or another woman. -- No woman shall marry her father, grandfather, son, son's son, daughter's 10 son, stepfather, grandmother's husband, daughter's husband, son's daughter's husband, daughter's 11 daughter's husband, husband's father, husband's grandfather, husband's son, husband's son's son, 12 husband's daughter's son, brother, brother's son, sister's son, father's brother, or mother's brother. 13 or another woman. 14 SECTION 2. Chapter 15-1 of the General Laws entitled "Persons Eligible to Marry" is 15 hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 16 15-1-7. Same sex marriages prohibited. – (a) In determining the meaning of any 17 general law or of any ruling, regulation or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and 18 agencies of the state of Rhode Island, the word “marriage” means only the legal union between 19 2 one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word “spouse” refers only to a person of 1 the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. 2 (b) Neither the state of Rhode Island nor any bureau or agency thereof shall recognize a 3 relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage regardless as to whether such 4 relationship is recognized as a marriage under the laws of any state, United States territory, 5 possession or Indian tribe. 6 (c) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to any person or 7 circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of 8 this section, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end 9 the provisions of this section are declared to be severable. 10 SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 11 ======= LC00579 ======== 3 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS -- PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO MARRY *** This act would prohibit same sex marriages in the state and would prohibit the state from 1 recognizing a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage. 2 This act would take effect upon passage. 3 ======= LC00579 =======