Panel Approves Bill to Shun Gay Marriages

SACRAMENTO —  The newly Republican-controlled Assembly Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would preclude California from recognizing same-sex marriages sanctioned by other states.

The hearing on the bill by Assemblyman Pete Knight (R-Palmdale) drew gay activists from across the state to condemn it and conservative Christian activists from as far away as Virginia to support it.

The party line 9-4 vote occurred against the backdrop of Hawaii considering legislation authorizing same-sex marriages. It is the only state considering such a move and, even there, action has been put off at least until summer.

Knight, who is in a tough race for the state Senate, said he is pushing the bill (AB 1982) for economic reasons: Homosexual couples could receive marriage licenses in other states, then move to California and be entitled to the same health, legal and financial benefits afforded heterosexual couples, he said.

Assemblywoman Barbara Alby (R-Fair Oaks), who voted for the bill, said same-sex marriages amount to an “assault on our culture.” Knight also said state-sanctioned gay marriages would “degrade” heterosexual marriages.

The bill was the first item on the agenda at the initial meeting of the newly reconstituted Judiciary Committee, which now has a GOP majority and chairman. But the opening action left some Republicans questioning the political message being sent by the GOP.

“Mr. Knight is sincere in his attempt. But in terms of priorities, there are far more important issues to be fast-tracking through the Legislature,” said Assemblyman Jim Cunneen (R-Cupertino). Republicans, he said, should be showing the state’s residents that “we’re reinvigorating California’s economy.”

After most onlookers and reporters left, the committee chaired by Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) proceeded to approve several sweeping measures to limit lawsuits.

One such bill, AB 1730 by Morrow, would ban product liability lawsuits over products more than 10 years old. If such a measure had been in place, lawsuits over asbestos, defective cars and Dalkon Shields could not have been brought, Democratic critics say.

But at least on Wednesday, Republicans overshadowed their efforts to overhaul civil law by approving Knight’s bill. It now goes to the Assembly floor, where it could be taken up next week. Even if it wins approval by the full Assembly, the bill is virtually certain to die in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

“The kinds of bills [Republican lawmakers] have chosen to make their centerpieces--paddling, motorcycle helmets, now gay marriage--must be intended to let the people know the things they think are most important,” said Assemblywoman Sheila J. Kuehl (D-Santa Monica).

Kuehl, the first open lesbian to serve in the Legislature, was in line to be chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee until Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) was elected speaker. Kuehl tried to scuttle Knight’s bill but failed, saying the refusal to sanction gay marriages is similar to laws on the books earlier in this century barring interracial marriages.

The issue of same-sex marriages came up as a result of a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling in 1993 that, under Hawaii’s constitution, the state could not prohibit such marriages without showing a compelling reason. A trial court is scheduled to consider the matter this year. Since the Hawaii decision, Utah approved a law similar to Knight’s bill, and similar measures are pending in Washington, South Dakota, Virginia and Alaska.

“California often sets the political agenda for the rest of the country,” said Martin Mawyer, head of the Christian Action Network in Virginia, who came 3,000 miles to testify for Knight’s bill, “and we hope that Pete Knight’s current efforts continue this trend.”