House Bill 493: Anti-LGBT, Anti-Marraige Constitutional Amendment

• Bill Number: House Bill 493
  
• Bill Status:
  
• PASSED Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House (Without Prejudice 5/22)
  
• Re-refered to HouseCommittee on Judiciary I
  
• Bill Link: Check Bill Status and Read/Download Bill Text
• Related Bills: Senate Bill 13
  
• ENC Position: Equality NC opposes this bill.

Bill Summary

Introduced on March 6, 2007 by Rep. Tim Moore, Rep. Jim Crawford, Rep. Dewey Hill and Rep. Linda Johsson, with 60 co-sponsors, House Bill 493, so-called "Defense of Marriage", would not only deny equal marriage rights, which are already denied lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians, but would also prohibit any recognition of civil unions, domestic partnerships, or similar relationships in the state. The language of the bill is so broad it could prevent private companies from extending domestic partner benefits to their employees.

The bill's sponsors include all 52 Republican Representatives and 12 of the 68 Democratic Representatives.

Similar bills were introduced in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 sessions, which Equality NC successfully worked to block.

In order to become law, the bill would need to pass both the House and Senate with at 3/5 margin, and be approved my a majority of voters on the November 2007 ballot.

Sponsors

Moore (R) (Primary)
Crawford (D) (Primary)
Hill (D) (Primary)
Johnson (R) (Primary)

Allred (R)
Almond (R)
Avila (R)
Barnhart (R)
Bell (D)
Blackwood (R)
Blust (R)
Boylan (R)
Brisson (D)
Brown (R)
Brubaker (R)
Church (D)
Clary (R)
Cleveland (R)
Cole (D)
Current (R)
Daughtridge (R)
Daughtry (R)
Dockham (R)
Dollar (R)
England (D)
Folwell (R)
Frye (R)
Gillespie (R)
Grady (R)
Gulley (R)
Hilton (R)
Holloway (R)
Holmes (R)
Howard (R)
Hurley (R)
Justice (R)
Justus (R)
Killian (R)
Kiser (R)
Langdon (R)
Lewis (R)
Love (D)
McComas (R)
McElraft (R)
McGee (R)
Neumann (R)
Pate (R)
Pierce (D)
Ray (R)
Samuelson (R)
Setzer (R)
Spear (D)
Stam (R)
Starnes (R)
Steen (R)
Stiller (R)
Thomas (R)
Tillis (R)
Walend (R)
Walker (R)
R. Warren (D)
West (R)
Wiley (R)
Yongue (D)