Source: Des Moines Register
Iowa’s gay marriage controversy is expected to heat up again Tuesday when a Republican lawmaker will attempt a rarely-used House rule in an attempt to force legislative debate on the issue.

“We have to do it now or this issue is done,” said House Minority Leader Christopher

Rants, a Sioux City Republican said this morning. “We’re going to see (gay) marriages take place in Iowa. Iowa’s going to be the sort of the Las Vegas of America because we have no residency requirement and we’ll have (gay) people from all across the country coming to Iowa to get married.”

Democratic majority leaders have, to date, resisted debate on House Joint Resolution 8, which would begin a process to amend Iowa’s constitution and define marriage as between one man and one woman.

The issue heats up in the legislature just after the Des Moines Register published a poll on Sunday that shows a small majority in the state support civil unions, while most oppose full marriage rights.

Most Iowans believe marriage should be only between one man and one woman, but a majority of Iowa adults also support the creation of civil unions granting benefits to gay couples similar to those offered to heterosexuals in marriage, according to a new Iowa Poll.

Sixty-two percent of Iowans believe marriage should be only between a man and a woman, according to the poll by The Des Moines Register. Thirty-two percent believe same-sex marriages should be allowed, while 6 percent were unsure.

The Register poll found that Iowans are evenly split on whether the state constitution should be changed to ban gay marriages.

The issue of marriage equality is currently before the Iowa Supreme Court. Debating the issue before the court rules would subvert the judicial process, Democratic leaders have said.

The issue came about after a decision last year from Polk County District Court Judge Robert Hanson, who ruled unconstitutional Iowa’s 1998 law defining only marriage between a man and a woman as valid.

Hanson ordered the Polk County recorder to permit same-sex couples to obtain licenses to enter into a civil marriage. Gay marriages were halted when the issue was appealed to the Supreme Court.

Hanson's ruling has fueled heated exchanges among lawmakers, civil rights advocacy groups and some religious leaders about the need to alter the state's constitution to specifically deny gay couples the ability to marry.

House Majority Speaker Pat Murphy, a Dubuque Democrat, said he suspected Rants would attempt the move but was doubtful that he could gain the needed 51 votes.

“I don’t think it changes anything,” Murphy said. “I think, generally, our caucus supports letting the judicial process go forward.”

The Des Moines Register, last month, conducted its own count of lawmakers who would vote in favor of the resolution. According to that survey, 50 – exactly half – of lawmakers indicated that they would vote this year to launch the amendment process if it were called up for a vote.

Rants acknowledged that, if his attempt is successful, it will likely be by a slim margin.

The Register's poll published Sunday shows that 48 percent of adults favor changing the Iowa Constitution to ban gay marriage, while 47 percent were opposed and 5 percent were unsure.

Seventy-one percent rated clarifying Iowa's marriage law as an issue that is very important or somewhat important for the Legislature to act on this year.

Gay-rights advocates who have done their own polling say the numbers indicate that the majority of Iowans are willing to extend civil rights to gay couples, yet are hesitant to tinker with the traditional definition of marriage.

"I think it reflects Iowans' attitudes that all families should be afforded the same protections," said Brad Clark, policy director for One Iowa, a Des Moines civil rights group.

Full article: Republican vows to force gay marriage debate | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register
Iowans lean in favor of civil unions | Des Moines Register