Senators Passed HB 1649

On March 30, HB 1649 was passed by the Washington State Senate. 28 Senators chose to recognize out-of-state "same-sex marriages" as domestic partnerships, remove a clause from the current law that stated that marriages and domestic partnerships are not equal to each other, and apply all future laws regarding marriage and family to domestic partnerships. Those Senators who voted to approve HB 1649 ignored the fact that "juridical equality means that all those with the natural capacity to marry have the right to do so. This juridical equality does not create the biological conditions required by nature for marriage. The conjugal act is intrinsically related to marriage, and nature requires two individuals from opposite sexes for its performance. This natural requirement is totally lacking in two people of the same sex who wish to marry, so the principle of equality under the law does not apply." (Answering the Top 10 Arguments Used to Push Homosexuality)

HB 1649 Roll Call

Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage

Yeas: 28     Nays: 19     Absent: 0 Excused: 2

Voting Yea:  Senators Brown, Chase, Conway, Eide, Fain, Fraser, Harper, Hatfield, Haugen, Hill, Hobbs, Kastama, Keiser, Kilmer, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Litzow, McAuliffe, Murray, Nelson, Pflug, Pridemore, Ranker, Rockefeller, Shin, Swecker, Tom, and White

Voting Nay:  Senators Baumgartner, Baxter, Becker, Benton, Carrell, Delvin, Ericksen, Hargrove, Hewitt, Holmquist Newbry, Honeyford, King, Morton, Parlette, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, and Zarelli 

Absent:

Excused:  Senators Prentice and Regala

Please write new letters to your senators, thanking them for opposing the bill or expressing your disappointment in their support of the bill. Our Senators need to know that we are paying attention to the final results and we will take their voting record on this bill into account during the next election.