POSTED: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - 11:58am
UPDATED: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 4:00pm
SANTA FE, N.M. - Valentine's Day is the requested day for Defense of Marriage Act HR22 to be placed on the agenda of the House Consumer and Public Affairs.
What exactly is HR22? The legislation, if passed, would ban New Mexico from recognizing lawful marriages from other states between same-sex couples. In New Mexico, marraige would only be recognized if it was between one man and one woman.
The request, made by NM State. Rep. David Chavez, came just under a 24-hour notice.
The legislation was previously scheduled for a hearing last week, but was withdrawn just hours before the hearing after advocates sent Chavez hundreds of emails and phone calls urging him to reconsider.
"Perhaps he is tone deaf, or just thinks this is funny, but to propose legislation to create second-class relationships on Valentine's Day is absurd," said Pat Davis of ProgressNow NM. "Representative Chavez has had enough of his own relationship troubles exposed to the public. Why would he possibly want to put thousands of loving and committed couples through the same public trials on a day made for celebrating love?"
The House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee was scheduled to meet at 8:30 am in the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.