NORTH CAROLINA: Republican House Speaker Vows That Bill To Ban Same-Sex Marriage Won’t Be Heard

The Raleigh News & Observer reports:

Republican legislators’ proposal to defy a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and restore the state constitution’s ban on same-sex marriage won’t get a hearing in the N.C. House, its leader said Wednesday.

House Bill 780 was filed Tuesday and says the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the country “is null and void in the State of North Carolina.” The sponsors argue in the bill language that it’s “clear that laws concerning marriage are for each state to establish and maintain severally and independently.”

House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican, said Wednesday that he won’t allow the bill to move forward this session. “There are strong constitutional concerns with this legislation given that the U.S. Supreme Court has firmly ruled on the issue, therefore House Bill 780 will be referred to the House Rules Committee and will not be heard,” Moore said in a news release.

The bill was sponsored by four GOP House members and would have also banned the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages.