Today, HB 4105 (Preservation of State Sovereignty over Marriage Bill) by Rep. Cecil Bell will have a Public Hearing at 10:30am or on adjournment in the House State Affairs committee in Room 140 of the John H. Reagan building on the north side of the Capitol on the capitol grounds. We need a strong showing of support for marriage between one man and one woman at the hearing.

Texas must send a forceful message to the U.S. Supreme Court that Texas supports our Marriage Amendment before the Court meets for oral arguments in the gay marriage case on April 28th. The goal of this bill is to preserve the right of Texas to operate under its Constitutional definition of marriage, Art. 1, Sec. 32, which provides that, “Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman,” notwithstanding any decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to the contrary.

Texas has seen numerous recent attacks and threats to our state marriage laws and our state authority on this issue; (1) Texas Supreme Court is being pressured to grant same-sex divorces, (2) some county clerks in Texas have even threatened to issue same-sex ‘marriages’ licenses based on their own personal opinions in clear disregard of state law, (3) and lesbian Houston Mayor Annise Parker is currently recognizing same-sex marriages from others states for employee benefits in violation of state law and a current court order.

It is likely the full House will gavel in at 10 am, which means the committee will meet upon the conclusion of the House calendar. Depending on how many bills and how controversial they are, the House could be in session for quite a long time. This means that the committee hearing may not start until afternoon and may go into the evening. Please plan for a potentially long day.

Please help support this important bill by taking the following action steps:

• Please contact your state representative and ask for their support of HB 4105. To find your elected officials please visit our website here.
• If you are able to attend the hearing, please be sure to sign-in in favor of the bill and stay in the room to help support us. Please call our office at 512-478-2220 if you need help regarding how to sign your name in favor of the bill via the Texas Legislature’s system at the capitol.

• Please call and email the committee members below and ask them to support HB 4105. *If you know individuals that live in the committee members districts, please ask them to call in support of these bills!*

Republican members of the State Affairs Committee:

1. Byron Cook – Chair, byron.cook@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0730

2. Patricia Harless –  patricia.harless@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0496

3. John Kuempel – john.kuempel@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0602

4. Dan Huberty –  dan.huberty@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0520

5. Charlie Geren –  charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0610

6. Marsha Farney – marsha.farney@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0309

7. John Smithee –  john.smithee@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0702

8. Tom Craddick – tom.craddick@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0500

Democrat members of the State Affairs Committee:

1. Sylvester Turner – sylvester.turner@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0554

2. Helen Giddings – helen.giddings@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0953

3. Jessica Farrar – jessica.farrar@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0620

4. Rene Oliviera – rene.oliviera@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0640