INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Senate’s decision not to restore a ban on civil unions to the state’s proposed gay marriage ban means voters won’t be able to decide the issue for at least two years.
Senators approved a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday to ban gay marriage. But they didn’t restore language stripped by the House that also would have banned civil unions.
In Indiana, a proposed amendment must twice be approved by the Legislature, unchanged in consecutive legislative sessions, before making the ballot.
The measure sailed through both chambers during the 2011-2012 session. But some House members had reservations about the civil union language during the current 2013-2014 session
Both sides are vowing strong fights in 2015-2016
The Senate’s president says he expects the U.S. Supreme Court to be the final say.