Ind. Senate passes HJR 3 32-17

On Monday afternoon, the Indiana Senate supported House Joint Resolution 3, a constitutional amendment that would solidify existing state law defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Though the House approved the resolution earlier in the session and the Senate voted 32-17 in favor of it, HJR 3 will not be up for referendum in the November election.

Significant wording changes in the House — a major alteration that cut in half the version of this resolution passed by the 2011 General Assembly — ensured that the legislature must convene to vote on the amendment again before voters will see it on their ballots.

The earliest a referendum could take place is 2016, but both the House and Senate would have to approve of the existing language sometime in the next two years.

Senators on both sides of the issue pleaded with their fellow legislators in session Monday, but only after being delayed by a long meeting of the Senate Republican Caucus, which reportedly went on for three hours.

This story will be updated.

— Michael Auslen