Senate leader assigns HJR-3 to panel he chairs

In a reversal from last week, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long said Thursday he would assign a controversial gay marriage ban to a committee over which he has stronger control.

The constitutional amendment, known as House Joint Resolution 3, will go to the Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee rather than the Judiciary Committee, which is where Long said he planned to send it last week.

Long said he changed his mind after giving the decision more thought, noting that the larger, 12-member rules committee includes top legislative leaders from both parties. Long also is chairman of the committee, which will give him stronger control over the debate. The committee hearing is likely to be held the week of Feb. 10, he said.

Long, R-Fort Wayne, also said he preferred that any changes to the House version of the resolution be offered on the full Senate floor rather than in committee. Long said he expects the measure to pass out of committee.

The House approved HJR-3 on Tuesday after removing a provision that also would have banned civil unions and similar arrangements. That provision could be reinstated in the Senate.

Long’s decision to send the measure to a different committee comes after House Speaker Brian Bosma took the unusual step of reassigning the resolution to a committee more likely to pass it than a committee that had already heard nearly four hours of testimony and appeared poised to kill the measure. The move drew howls of protest from HJR-3 opponents.

Megan Robertson, campaign director for Freedom Indiana, a group fighting the amendment, said she was happy that Long is making committee decisions that won’t require hours of testimony to have to be repeated.

“It seems like Senator Long has put a lot of thought into how he is going to handle the situation,” she said.

Long declined to say how he felt about the House’s decision to remove the civil union ban.

“I’m going to keep my powder dry for now,” he said.

Gay marriage is already banned in Indiana. HJR-3 would enshrine the ban in the state constitution, making it harder to undo.

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.