BATON ROUGE, La., June 10 (UPI) -- The Louisiana Senate has passed and sent to the House a proposal that would ban same-sex marriages if the voters approve.
The proposed amendment to the Louisiana Constitution was approved by a 31-6 vote Wednesday, easily more than the two thirds vote necessary, the Advocate reported.
The only issue yet to be resolved is when the vote should be scheduled. The House adopted the measure in May and proposed placing the issue on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, but the Senate wants it on the Sept. 18 primary ballot.
Rep. Steve Scalise, the House sponsor from Metairie, said he has not decided whether to accept the Senate's date because there would be a higher turnout in the November election. He is a Republican candidate running in the Nov. 2 election.
Louisiana law currently bans same-sex marriages but the proposed amendment would give voters a chance to place it in the constitution where it would be more likely to survive legal challenges, sponsors say.
