Opinion ID: 1803783
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Legislative History of Act 926 [16]

Text: In compliance with constitutional requirements, Act 926 was prefiled in the House of Representatives on March 1, 2004, and introduced as House Bill 61, providing in its original form: A JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Louisiana, to enact Article I, Section 27, relative to marriage; to define marriage; to prohibit the conference of marital rights; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related matters. Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to add Article I, Section 27 of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows: § 27. Definition of Marriage Section 27. Marriage in the state of Louisiana shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. Neither this constitution nor state law shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall recognize any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman. Section 2. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 2, 2004. Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted to vote FOR or AGAINST, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as follows: To define marriage as the union of one man and one woman and to provide that neither the constitution nor laws of this state shall be construed to confer marital status or any legal incidents thereof upon unmarried couples or groups; to provide that no official or court may recognize any marriage contracted in another jurisdiction unless it is a union between one man and one woman. (Adds Article I, Section 27). [17] Subsequently, House Bill 61 was provisionally referred to the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure. The House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure proposed three amendments to House Bill 61. Amendment No. 1 proposed the substitution of the text  to provide for valid and recognized marriages; to provide for the legal incidents of marriage; for the text  to prohibit the conference of marital rights;in line three of the original bill. Amendment No. 2 proposed a complete revision to the proposed constitutional text: § 27. Defense of Marriage Section 27. Marriage in the state of Louisiana shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall construe this constitution or any state law to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any member of a union other than the union of one man and one woman. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall recognize any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of the one man and one woman. Amendment No. 3 proposed a complete revision to the proposed proposition: To provide that marriage in this state shall consist of the union of one man and one woman; to provide that legal incidents of marriage shall not be conferred upon a union other than the union of one man and one woman; to provide that a legal status similar to marriage shall not be valid or recognized for unmarried individuals; to prohibit the recognition of any marriage contracted in another state which is not the union of one man and one woman. (Adds Article I, Section 27). Original House Bill 61 was so amended and order engrossed on May 12, 2004. On May 18, 2004, Engrossed House Bill 61 [18] was finally passed, having received two-thirds vote of the members elect (87 yeas, 11 nays), its title was adopted, and the bill was ordered to the Senate. In the Senate, the Engrossed House Bill underwent additional amendments. Though most of the amendments were technical in nature, three proposed substantial changes to the text of the bill. Amendment No. 2 proposed that the text to provide for valid and recognized marriage; to provide for the legal incidents of marriage;  be deleted from the first paragraph of the resolution and replaced with the following text: to require that marriage in the state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman; to provide that the legal incidents of marriage shall be conferred only upon such union; to prohibit the validation or recognition of the legal status of any union of unmarried individuals; to prohibit the recognition of a marriage contracted in another jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman;. Amendment No. 9 proposed to substitute the language  on a member of any union other than such union; and that the state shall not validate or recognize a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals or any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman. (Adds Article XII, Section 15) for the textupon a union other than the union of one man and one woman; to provide that a legal status similar to marriage shall not be valid or recognized for unmarried individuals; to prohibit the recognition of any marriage contracted in another state which is not the union of one man and one woman. (Adds Article I, Section 27)  contained in the proposition. Amendment No. 7 proposed a change to the date of the statewide election where the proposed amendment would be submitted to the public from November 2, 2004 to September 18, 2004. Finally, the Senate amendments also recommended the redesignation of the proposed constitutional amendment as Article XII, § 15, rather than Article I, § 27. On June 9, 2004, the Engrossed House Bill was finally passed as amended (31 yeas, 6 nays), its title was read and adopted, and the bill was ordered to the House. [19] On June 15, 2004, the Senate amendments, having received two-thirds vote of the members elect (88 yeas, 13 nays), were concurred in by the members of the House, and the bill was enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on June 16, 2004. On June 18, 2004, Enrolled House Bill 61 was presented to the Secretary of State by the Clerk of the House, and on July 12, 2004, the Enrolled House Bill became Act No. 926. Act No. 926 provides, in its entirety: A JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Louisiana, to enact Article XII, Section 15, relative to marriage; to require that marriage in the state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman; to provide that the legal incidents of marriage shall be conferred only upon such union; to prohibit the validation or recognition of the legal status of any union of unmarried individuals; to prohibit the recognition of a marriage contracted in another jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the electors and provide a ballot proposition; and to provide for related matters. Section 1: Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to add Article XII, Section 15 of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows: § 15. Defense of Marriage Section 15. Marriage in the state of Louisiana shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall construe this constitution or any state law to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any member of a union other than the union of one man and one woman. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized. No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall recognize any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman. Section 2. Be it resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on September 18, 2004. Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted to vote FOR or AGAINST, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as follows: To provide that marriage in this state shall consist of the union of one man and one woman, that legal incidents of marriage shall not be conferred on a member of any union other than such union, and that the state shall not validate or recognize a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals or any marriage contracted in any other jurisdiction which is not the union of one man and one woman. (Adds Article XII, Section 15). [20] Finding that the third sentence of the constitutional amendment contained within this joint resolution, designated as Act 926, constituted a separate and distinct object from that contained within the first, second, and fourth sentences of the amendment, the district court declared the constitutional amendment unconstitutional in violation of La. Const. art. XIII, § 1(B)'s single object requirement. We will now address whether the district court erred in declaring the constitutional amendment unconstitutional.