November 11, 2004 - Volume 2, Issue 43

House Prepares to Send Marriage Package to the Governor

A package of bills designed to strengthen marriage in Michigan has returned to the House before being sent to the Governor. Both the House and Senate approved earlier versions of the package. The Governor has stated previously that she does not support several of the tenets of the legislation.

"These bills make sense for Michigan’s families," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "Saying that they are intrusive is misleading, because the government already regulates marriage. These bills help preserve marriage and protect kids."

To read more about the bills, click here. To contact the governor asking for her support, click here.

MFF Speaks Out on Definition of "Values Voters"

In the wake of last week’s election, media outlets across the nation have been stumbling over themselves trying to figure out who the so-called "values voters" are. The media tried to peg the election on how the electorate viewed the economy and the war on terror, but found out shortly after the voting started that the main issue under consideration by voters was "moral values."

Executive Director Brad Snavely responded to a request from the Detroit News to describe who these "values voters" are and why they had such an impact on the election. To read his comments, and those of others, click here.

Michigan House Republicans Elect New Speaker

Representative Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) has been elected by his House Republican colleagues to serve as Speaker of the House in the next legislative session. DeRoche was first elected to the House in 2002. He replaces outgoing speaker Rick Johnson, who is term-limited, and will preside over a House with a 58-52 Republican majority. Democrats gained five seats in last week’s election.

DeRoche, a former city-councilman and insurance agent, is married and has two children, ages 3 and 1. To read more about the new Speaker, click here.

First Federal Lawsuit Filed to Overturn State Constitutional Amendment

The first lawsuit attempting to overturn a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman has been filed in Oklahoma. Oklahoma was one of eleven states (including Michigan) to approve marriage amendments last week.

"It was only a matter of time before something like this happened," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "Marriage protection advocates have been saying for quite some time that the only way to absolutely guarantee the definition of marriage is to pass a federal constitutional amendment."

Any state court, including a state Supreme Court cannot overturn state constitutional amendments. However, a federal court, or ultimately, the United States Supreme Court can review the state amendments against the U.S. Constitution. For more information, click here.

Conservative Groups Voice Concern Over Comments by Specter

A broad coalition of conservative groups has expressed concern with the possible appointment of Arlen Specter (R-PA) to chair the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee is responsible for overseeing confirmation of judicial nominees – including Supreme Court justices.

According to some media reports, Sen. Specter, who narrowly won re-election, made comments in recent days indicating he would not support "pro-life" nominees from President Bush. The Senator has said his comments were taken out of context, and that he has in fact supported all of President Bush’s judicial nominees (during the President’s first term) regardless of their view on abortion.

For information about this issue from Focus on the Family, click here.
To read Senator Specter’s response to the controversy, click here.

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Forum Online

1003 N. Washington, P.O. Box 15216

Lansing, MI, 48901-5216

Phone: (517) 374-1171, Fax: (517) 374-6112

www.michiganfamily.org

Executive Director: Brad Snavely

Editor: Jon Stanton

Questions? E-mail us: info@michiganfamily.org

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