Little Rock’s CBS affiliate reports:
A bill has been proposed to make marriage only between a man and a woman. Twenty Representatives and one Senator introduced House Bill 2098. Representative Stephen Meeks [photo] is the lead sponsor of the bill.
HB2098 would not recognize marriages between two people of the same sex, even if the marriage happened in a different state or country. The bill states “Marriage shall be only between a man and a woman. A marriage between persons of the same sex is void.”
No marriage licenses would be able to be issued to couples of the same sex. Same-sex couples would also not be entitled to the benefits of marriage. However, the bill would not prohibit an employer from “extending benefits to a person who is a domestic partner of an employee.”
More than a dozen other anti-LGBT bills are in progress in Arkansas. Earlier this month the Arkansas Senate approved a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to ban same-sex marriage nationwide.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to [1/2]
— Rep. Stephen Meeks (@RepStephenMeeks) March 1, 2017
restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
— Patrick Henry [2/2]— Rep. Stephen Meeks (@RepStephenMeeks) March 1, 2017