May 29, 2009 Dear Ms. Picard: Thank you for your letter regarding same-sex marriage. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I understand your concerns. Recently, the District of Columbia Council approved legislation to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The bill was approved by District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty and Congress will have at least 30 days to reject or approve the measure. If Congress does not act on the bill within that time frame, it becomes law in the District of Columbia. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) recently introduced H. J. Res. 54 to disapprove of the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the legislation. In addition, Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced H.R. 2608 to define marriage in the District of Columbia as the union of one man and one woman. Both pieces of legislation have been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for consideration. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has yet to set a date to consider these measures. To date, legislation has not been introduced in the Senate. During the 110th Congress, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. J. Res. 43, the Marriage Protection Act. The resolution proposed to amend the Constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. I was an original cosponsor of S. J. Res. 43 because I believe it is wrong for a select minority to impose their definition of marriage on the nation. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to consider S. J. Res. 43 before the close of the 110th Congress. In March, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) introduced H. Res. 37 to propose to amend the Constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The resolution has been referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties for consideration. A similar resolution has yet to be introduced in the Senate. It is important to remember that, while not impossible, amending the Constitution was intentionally made a difficult process by our Founding Fathers. However, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) remains federal law (Public Law 104-199). The Act defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and a spouse as a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. Kansas adheres to a longstanding policy that does not recognize same sex marriages. Most recently, 70 percent of Kansans voted overwhelmingly in favor of the April 2005 ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Again thank you for taking the time to contact me. If you would like more information on issues before the Senate, please visit my website at http://roberts.senate.gov/. You may also sign up on my home page for a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide additional updates on my work for Kansas. Sincerely, Pat Roberts PR:mk