Norton Says Anti-Gay Marriage Proposal Will Not Derail D.C. Bill

By Rebecca Blatt

A Republican Congressman from Utah is pushing legislation that would overturn a D.C. Council bill allowing gay marriage in the district.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has said it will be difficult to get Congress to block the district's bill while both houses are controlled by Democrats. But that hasn't stopped him from trying. He attempted to derail a previous district law recognizing gay marriages performed in other states.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton says that attempt was not successful, and this one won't be either.

"The bill, as Mr. Chaffetz well knows, will not be taken up in committee because the majority in power in the Congress today recognizes and respects home rule in the District of Columbia," she says.

By law Congress has 30 legislative days to act on the marriage bill before it takes effect.