Making it Happen:

Amending the State Constitution

Although some states have been able to amend their constitutions via "Citizen's Initiative," by referendum, in Pennsylvania, our amendment process depends on winning passage in our state legislature in Harrisburg.

Here are the steps we must complete to win passage of a Marriage Protection Amendment to Pennsylvania's constitution:

1. PASSAGE OF BILL BY STATE HOUSE AND SENATE:
An amendment to protect marriage must be introduced as a Joint Resolution by a member of either the state Senate or the state House of Representatives, and would need to be approved by a majority vote in the General Assembly in two successive sessions i.e. 2005-06, then 2006-07. (It does not require the governor's signature.)

2. SECOND PASSAGE OF BILL:
When the proposed amendment is passed in one session of the General Assembly, it must be published in at least two newspapers in each county three months before the next election. This gives citizens the opportunity to change their representation, based on the representative's vote or anticipated vote on the amendment. After the election, the new General Assembly must again pass the amendment by majority vote. The amendment will appear again in newspapers.

3. VOTER APPROVAL ON STATEWIDE REFERENDUM:
It can then be voted on by the citizens in a referendum appearing on election ballots statewide. When passed by a vote of the citizenry, the Constitution has been successfully amended and marriage will have been protected in Pennsylvania. If the amendment fails to pass, it cannot be submitted again for five years.