House Panel Oks Gay Marriage Ban

A bill to make gay marriages illegal under federal law moved closer to a vote Thursday when a House panel approved it during a meeting where some lawmakers lost tempers and shouted at each other.

The House Judiciary’s Constitution subcommittee voted 8-4 to approve a bill that would define marriage as a “legal union between one man and one woman” for federal purposes. The bill also would give states the authority to reject the validity of same-sex marriages performed in any other state.

But it wouldn’t block any state from conferring its own legal status on same-sex unions, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga.