The Alaska Legislature, during a special session called by Gov. Frank Murkowski, passed a bill that seeks to postpone the implementation of court-ordered same-sex benefits for state employees and retirees, The Associated Press reported.
Residents of Alaska voted in favor of a constitutional amendment in 1998 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but, shortly after, 14 homosexual couples, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), challenged the state, demanding employment benefits for same-sex partners.
The state Supreme Court ruled that since same-sex couples can't get married, the state is obligated to give them benefits. The court-imposed deadline is January 1.
Both chambers agreed to pass legislation that postpones any action and sets up a nonbinding statewide advisory vote in April. The vote will allow Alaskans to decide whether there should be a constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot to overturn the court mandate.
Jim Minnery, executive director of the Alaska Family Council, said he's "cautiously optimistic."
"The Legislature has at least sent a message -- a fairly strong message -- to the Supreme Court that they believe public input is necessary for this to happen," he said. "The vote that is going to take place in April is really an advisory vote, and it's not binding, so there's not really much that the Legislature is required to do."
The issue is not whether gay-identified people can establish relationships, Minnery said.
"It's not about that," he said. "We don't feel that they have the right to require all Alaskans to publicly affirm and recognize them in the same way that we do married couples."
The Legislature must garner a two-thirds vote in both chambers to approve the amendment.
"Our big concern right now," Minnery said, "is finding out the best possible scenario that we can somehow prevent the actual regulation from being signed and implemented between now and then."
TAKE ACTION:
If you are an Alaska resident, contact Gov. Frank Murkowski and ask him to take the needed steps to ensure the implementation of same-sex benefits is delayed until the people and the Legislature have the opportunity to weigh in.
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(Paid for by Focus on the Family Action)
