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Committee approves bill updating statutory definition of marriage to 'civil contract between two individuals'
Summary
House Bill 1800, which would repeal a statutory limit of marriage to 'one man and one woman' and define marriage as a civil contract between two individuals, passed the Judiciary Committee after proponents cited Supreme Court precedent and opponents warned the proposed statutory language was imprecise.
The Judiciary Committee reported House Bill 1800, which would repeal statutory language limiting marriage to "one man and one woman" and replace it with a definition of marriage as a civil contract between two individuals.
Representative Kenyatta, sponsor and one of the bill’s proponents, said the change updates Pennsylvania statutes to reflect Supreme Court precedent recognizing same-sex marriage and urged bipartisan support. Committee counsel explained the bill would repeal Section 1704 of Title 23 and replace the definition with a neutral civil-contract definition.
Opponents criticized the proposed statutory language as legally imprecise; Chairman Coffman said defining marriage as a civil contract between two individuals could have unintended consequences and require further refinement. After debate, the committee voted to report the bill with bipartisan support, 16–10.
