SRC-JBJ S.B. 488 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 488
77R1929 KSD-DBy: Harris
State Affairs
3/28/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Current Texas law prohibits issuing a marriage license for persons of the
same sex and mandates that common law marriages may only be between a man
and a woman but does not address civil unions. As proposed, S.B. 488
prohibits the State of Texas from recognizing same-sex marriages or civil
unions. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 1B, Family Code, by adding Section 1.109, as
follows: 

Sec.  1.109.  RECOGNITION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE OR CIVIL UNION.  (a) Defines
"civil union." 

(b)  Prohibits the state from giving effect to a public act, record, or
judicial proceeding that recognizes or validates a marriage or civil union
between persons of the same sex, or to a right or claim asserted as a
result of the purported marriage or civil union. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.