INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Indiana's House of Representatives chose Monday not to take a vote on a proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
Rep. Greg Stuerwald, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said last week a vote on the proposed amendment would be taken Monday, but after three and one-half hours of testimony Monday, the hearing ended without a vote.
Stuerwald later said the committee had a time constraint and noted that several committee members told him they "wanted time to reflect on the testimony."
The committee also took no action on a companion bill to clarify the amendment's intent, which states the amendment is not intended to deny employer health benefits to same-sex couples or to circumvent local anti-discrimination ordinances, the Indianapolis Star reported Monday.
If passed, the issue of same-sex marriage would be put on a ballot for voters to decide.
The amendment's author, Rep. Eric Turner, began testimony with a map indicating Indiana is one of only four states which ban same-sex marriage by law but not by constitutional amendment, making "our state susceptible to judicial interpretation. The future of marriage belongs in the hands of Hoosiers."
Opponents of the amendment, including executives from Eli Lilly and Co., Cummins Inc. and the University of Indiana, all large Indiana employers, said the amendment would hurt their ability to recruit young professionals and students.
Supporters of the amendment urged lawmakers to let voters decide.
Hundreds of activists filled the House chamber for the hearing, wearing red to signal their opposition to the amendment, the Chicago Tribune reported.
