House puts off gay marriage debate until after election
MARTHA RAFFAELE
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The state House of Representatives began Wednesday to wade into the national debate over gay marriage, considering a measure that supporters say would bolster a state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

But after a little more than an hour of floor debate, the House postponed action and voted 96-94 to table the proposal until Nov. 8, nearly a week after the Nov. 2 general election.

Rep. Jerry Birmelin, a conservative Republican from Wayne County, sponsored the measure, which would prohibit gay couples from obtaining marriage licenses and bar Pennsylvania from recognizing same-sex marriages sanctioned by other states.

It would also prohibit the state from recognizing "spousal equivalent relationships" among unmarried couples who live together, regardless of their sexual orientation.