Politics & Government
(VIDEO) Minnesota Senate Passes Gay Marriage Amendment Bill
The House has yet to vote on the plan.
The Minnesota Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow voters to decide in 2012 whether the state's constitution should ban gay marriage.
The vote was 38-27.
Hopkins Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) spoke against the proposal, saying a constitutional ban is wrong morally and will give Minnesota a bad image.
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Supporters of the bill have argued that it should be up to the people of Minnesota—not the legislature—to define what marriage is.
The House has yet to have a floor vote on the same issue, but senators on Wednesday sounded confident that it will pass there, too, which would put the issue on the ballot. Latz said that means opponents of the ban will have to be active leading up to the next election.
Find out what's happening in Hopkinswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We’ll do all we can to shape that outcome," the senator said. "I think we’re going to win it.”
Check back with Patch for video from Sen. Ron Latz on the floor debating this issue.
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