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Timeline › 2005 › February › 26

February 26, 2005

2 entries on this date.

Virginia General Assembly gave first passage to HJ586, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and equivalent legal recognition

On February 26, 2005, both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly adopted the conference committee report on HJ586, a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to one man and one woman and bar recognition of any comparable legal status. The House agreed to the conference report 79-17 and the Senate agreed 30-10, completing the first of two required legislative passages under Virginia's amendment process. The resolution was enacted as Chapter 946 of the 2005 Acts of Assembly, setting the stage for a second passage in the next session and a statewide referendum.

Virginia General Assembly completed first passage of SJ337, constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage recognition

On February 26, 2005, the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates both agreed to the conference report on SJ337, a proposed state constitutional amendment providing that only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage recognized by Virginia and barring the Commonwealth from recognizing any other union assigned the rights or effects of marriage. The vote completed the first of two required successive-session passages under Virginia's constitutional-amendment procedure; SJ337 was sponsored by Sen. Stephen D. Newman and was enacted as Chapter 949 of the 2005 Acts of Assembly.