Washington D.C., Jun 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Senate Republican leadership is aiming for a mid-July vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment – a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, reported Alliance for Marriage yesterday.
Republican Conference Chairman Rick Santorum (Pa.) said the GOP leaders have not yet set a specific date, but he confirmed that they are scouting for July.
The issue was not discussed with all 51 Republican senators at the Tuesday meeting, but a handful of senior senators and leaders reportedly "discussed the issue at length" the night before.
There was not unanimity about whether the GOP should pursue the issue in this election year. However, there appears to be a strong majority within the Republican Conference to at least force a vote, reported Alliance for Marriage.