Editing Federal Marriage Amendment (section)

===2003===
The amendment was introduced again by Rep. [[Marilyn Musgrave]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Colorado|Colo.]]) on May 21, 2003, with the same wording proposed in 2002.<ref name=hjres56>Musgrave, Marilyn, et al. (May 21, 2003) [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.j.res.00056: H.J.RES.56 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} [[United States House of Representatives]], [[Library of Congress]]. Retrieved August 19, 2007.</ref><ref name=sjres26>Wayne, Allard, et al. (November 25, 2003) [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:SJ00026: S.J.RES.26 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} [[United States House of Representatives]], [[Library of Congress]]. Retrieved August 19, 2007.</ref> The bill was designated H.J.Res.56 in the House and was immediately referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. On June 25, 2003, it was referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, where hearings were held on May 13, 2004.<ref name=hjres56/> On November 23, Rep. [[Barney Frank]] (D-[[Massachusetts|Mass.]]) objected that the amendment would interrupt Massachusetts' scheduled experiment with same-sex marriage, then scheduled to begin in May 2004. Musgrave countered that the Massachusetts marriages were court-ordered. She said: "If we're going to redefine marriage, let's let the American people, through their elected representatives, decide—not activist judges. Let the people of Massachusetts decide."<ref>{{cite news|last=Savage|first=Charlie|title=Frank sees referendum for ruling on gay marriage |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/11/24/frank_sees_referendum_for_ruling_on_gay_marriage/ |access-date=August 19, 2013|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=November 24, 2003}}</ref>

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator [[Wayne Allard]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Colorado|Colo.]]) on November 25, 2003, and designated S.J.Res.26. The amendment changed the language of the proposed amendment, substituting "marriage" for "marital status" and specifying that it applied to "any union other than the union of a man and a woman" rather than "unmarried couples or groups". The changes were intended to make it clear that state legislatures could still recognize civil unions if the amendment were to pass. "This new language makes the intent of the legislation even clearer: to protect marriage in this country as the union between a man and a woman, and to reinforce the authority of state legislatures to determine benefits issues related to civil unions or domestic partnerships," said Sen. Wayne Allard.<ref>{{cite news|title=Federal Marriage Amendment Reworded to Allow Civil Unions|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/marchweb-only/3-22-22.0.html|access-date=August 3, 2013|newspaper=Christianity Today|date=March 1, 2004}}</ref> It was immediately referred to the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Committee on the Judiciary]].<ref name=sjres26/>