House Bill 361: Marriage Discrimination Amendment

• Bill Number: House Bill 361
  
• Bill Status:
  
• Referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, if favorable, Judiciary I, if favorable, Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform, if favorable, Appropriations
• Bill not subject to crossover deadline and is alive for 2009-2010 session.
  
• Bill Link: Check Bill Status and Read/Download Bill Text
• Related Bills: Senate Bill 272
  
• ENC Position: Equality NC opposes this bill.

Bill Summary

Introduced on March 3, 2008 by Representatives Lewis, Crawford, Burris-Floyd, and Hill, House Bill 361, 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 primary sponsors, Reps. Lewis, Crawford, Burris-Floyd, and Hill were joined by 62 co-sponsors. The sponsors include 14 Democrats and all 52 Republicans.

Legislators introduced similar bills in the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 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 by a majority of voters on the November 2009 ballot.

Sponsors
Lewis (Primary)
Crawford (Primary)
Burris-Floyd (Primay)
Hill (Primary)

Allred
Avila
Barnhart
Bell
Blackwell
Blackwood
Blust
Boles
Braxton
Brisson
Brown
Brubaker
Burr
Cleveland
Cole
Current
Daughtry
Dockham
Dollar
England
Folwell
Frye
Gillespie
Grady
Guice
Gulley
Hilton
Holloway
Howard
Hurley
Johnson
Justice
Justus
Killian
Langdon
McComas
McCormick
McElraft
McGee
Mills
Mobley
Moore
Neumann
Parmon
Pierce
Randleman
Rhyne
Sager
Samuelson
Setzer
Spear
Stam
Starnes
Steen
Stevens
Stiller
Tillis
West
Wiley
Williams
Wray
Yongue