Utah Rep. hopes to undo D.C. marriage law

WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- A Utah congressman says he will try to keep the District of Columbia from recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.

Jason Chaffetz, who was elected to Congress in 2008, is the ranking Republican on the subcommittee supervising the district, which consists entirely of the city of Washington, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. He argues that it is right that Congress has ultimate control of the city government, even in areas where other local governments decide their own fate because much of the district budget comes from the federal government.

The city council approved an ordinance recognizing out-of-state gay marriages, 12-1.

"I'm in a favor of recognizing marriage as a union between a man and a woman," Chaffetz said. "I'm not in favor of trying to redefine it, or disguise it under another name."

Chaffetz may not succeed since his party is in the minority.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in most of New England, Iowa and Canada.