Senator Dan Patrick Defends Texas Marriage Amendment

Seeks Attorney General Opinion on legality of extending benefits to domestic partners

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas After an Austin-area ISD recently announced it would disregard the Texas Constitution and became the 1st School District in Texas to extend benefits domestic partners Texas State Senator Dan Patrick has submitting a formal Attorney General Opinion Request to clarify whether the ISD and 3 other Texas cities are violating the Constitution.

I am submitting this request to the Attorney General in order to clarify whether or not these entities are violating the Texas Constitution and circumventing the will of the people said Sen. Patrick while filing the request asking if the Texas Constitution prevents government entities from extending benefits to domestic partners.

In 2005 the Texas Constitution was amended to clearly define marriage as between one man and one woman.

More than 75 of Texas voters voted in support of the amendment.

The Marriage Amendment prohibits government entities from creating or recognizing anything identical or similar to marriage.

The Marriage Amendment was also passed by an overwhelming majority of the Texas legislature.

To date a handful of government entities from across the state are nonetheless gradually recognizing and extending benefits to domestic partners including the:

1. Cities of Austin
2. El Paso and
3. Fort Worth while the
4. Pflugerville I.S.D. (an Austin suburb) became the 1st School District to extend benefits.