ACTION ALERT – IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
Senate Bill 673 by Sen. Charles Perry would punish state employees who comply with any future court order requiring Texas to recognize the freedom to marry. It is the senate companion of HB 623 by Rep. Cecil Bell. The bill would revoke all salary, benefits and pensions – punishing a public servant for following the law.
Not to be outdone, Rep. Bell filed HB 1745, which would remove the issuance of marriage licenses from locally elected county clerks and place it with the Secretary of State, an appointed position, who would then give permission to county clerks to issue licenses – so long as they complied with the Secretary of State’s interpretation of the law, creating an unnecessary and bureaucratic mess.
Use our ACTION CENTER to tell your elected officials to oppose these dangerous pieces of legislation.
Federal Courts have increasingly found that state prohibitions on the freedom to marry violate constitutional protections of equal protection under the law. Additionally, on February 19th a state district court in Texas ordered the county clerk to issue a marriage license to a single couple, due to health concerns and the possibility that the couple may not be able to take advantage of a future federal court order. In anticipation of federal courts finding Texas’ anti-marriage laws unconstitutional, SB 673 punishes state employees who would follow the law by issuing marriage licenses to loving couples. The bill would also attempt to exempt the State of Texas from Constitutional requirements.
Tell Sen. Charles Perry and Rep. Cecil Bell that Texas and Texans respect the constitution, respect the rule of law, and respect the right of loving couples to make their own decisions absent unnecessary government intervention.