AN ACT Relating to reaffirming and protecting the institution of marriage; amending RCW 26.04.010 and 26.04.020; adding a new section to chapter 9A.04 RCW; creating new sections; and providing for submission of this act to a vote of the people.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) In P.L. 104-199; 110 Stat. 219, the Defense of Marriage Act, Congress granted authority to the individual states to either grant or deny recognition of same-sex marriages recognized as valid in another state. The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage for purposes of federal law as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that a state shall not be required to give effect to any public act or judicial proceeding of any other state respecting marriage between persons of the same sex if the state has determined that it will not recognize same-sex marriages.

(2) The legislature and the people of the state of Washington find that matters pertaining to marriage are matters reserved to the sovereign states and, therefore, such matters should be determined by the people within each individual state and not by the people or courts of a different state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) It is a compelling interest of the state of Washington to reaffirm its historical commitment to the institution of marriage as a union between a man and a woman as husband and wife and to protect that institution.

(2) The court in Singer v. Hara, 11 Wn. App. 247 (1974) held that the Washington state marriage statute does not allow marriage between persons of the same sex. It is the intent of the legislature by this act to codify the Singer opinion and to fully exercise the authority granted the individual states by Congress in P.L. 104-199; 110 Stat. 219, the Defense of Marriage Act, to establish public policy against same-sex marriage in statutory law that clearly and definitively declares same-sex marriages will not be recognized in Washington, even if they are made legal in other states.

Sec. 3. RCW 26.04.010 and 1973 1st ex.s. c 154 s 26 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Marriage is a civil contract ((~~which may be entered into by persons of~~)) between a male and a female who have each attained the age of eighteen years, and who are otherwise capable((~~: PROVIDED, That~~)).

(2) Every marriage entered into in which either ((~~party shall not have~~)) the husband or the wife has not attained the age of seventeen years ((~~shall be~~)) is void except where this section has been waived by a superior court judge of the county in which one of the parties resides on a showing of necessity.

Sec. 4. RCW 26.04.020 and 1927 c 189 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Marriages in the following cases are prohibited:

((~~(1)~~)) (a) When either party thereto has a wife or husband living at the time of such marriage((.));

((~~(2)~~)) (b) When the ((~~parties thereto~~)) husband and wife are nearer of kin to each other than second cousins, whether of the whole or half blood computing by the rules of the civil law; or

((~~(3)~~)) (2) It ((~~shall be~~)) is unlawful for any man to marry his father's sister, mother's sister, daughter, sister, son's daughter, daughter's daughter, brother's daughter or sister's daughter; it ((~~shall be~~)) is unlawful for any woman to marry her father's brother, mother's brother, son, brother, son's son, daughter's son, brother's son or sister's son.

(3) A marriage between two persons that is recognized as valid in another jurisdiction is valid in this state only if the marriage is not prohibited or made unlawful under this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 9A.04 RCW to read as follows:

The legislature finds that political speech is one of the highest forms of protected speech under the state and federal constitutions and that persons who are engaged in public debate on a political issue whether before the legislature or on the ballot as an initiative or referendum deserve the highest protections of the law. The legislature further finds that it is egregious when individuals commit criminal acts against other persons for any reason and that it is especially egregious when individuals commit criminal acts against other persons who are engaged in public debate simply because they disagree with the political speech or stance of the victim. The legislature hereby declares that individuals who commit such criminal acts against the person or property of others must be expeditiously prosecuted and appropriately punished in order to maintain public safety, protect law-abiding persons, and ensure the guarantee of free speech for every citizen.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. In recognition of the fact that it has been the sole and continuous policy of both the territory and the state of Washington to limit the definition of legal marriage to a civil contract between a male and female and that Washington case law has long upheld the right of the state to limit the definition of legal marriage so as to not include same-sex marriages, this act is remedial in nature and takes effect retroactively as of January 1, 1997, as it applies to cases involving same-sex marriage.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. This act shall be submitted to the people for their adoption and ratification, or rejection, in accordance with Article II, section 1, of the state Constitution, and the laws adopted to facilitate the operation thereof, at a state-wide special election ordered by the legislature to be held in this state on the date specified for a state primary in RCW 29.13.070.