New Mexico State Senator William Sharer has officially filed a proposal for a constitutional amendment defining marriage to be between one man and one woman. The amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 01, would alter Article 20 of the New Mexico constitution to state, “Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.”
The amendment will need to be approved by both the state House and Senate and then ratified by popular vote before going into effect.
This is no small feat. Similar proposals have been filed in New Mexico before with no success.
In 2009, Sen. Sharer introduced a bill that would have legally defined marriage in the state as a civil contract “between a man and a woman.” It never made it to the Senate floor.
In 2008, two similar bills were also introduced. The first, supported by Rep. Nora Espinoza, would have defined marriage as a civil contract between a man and woman. The second, introduced by Rep. Gloria Vaughn, would have created a constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage. Both bills died in committee.
It appears this newest proposal has a long way to go to make it through both the House and Senate and to the public for a vote.
Once given to the public, however, there is every hope that the amendment would be successful. In 2008, voters approved similar constitutional amendments limiting marriage to one man and one woman in Arizona, California, and Florida.