MADISON — On Dec. 13, Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and the Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus introduced two bills to update Wisconsin’s constitution and state statutes to reflect marriage equality in our state. Sen. Spreitzer released the following statement: 

“As the Chair of the Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, and as a gay man married to the love of my life, I was proud to stand with my colleagues and with my fellow LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites to introduce these two bills. Today is the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden signing the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act into federal law, which provides statutory protection for same-sex and interracial marriages, and it is particularly impactful to introduce these bills today. 

“I am the lead Senate author of LRB 1907, which would update Wisconsin state statutes related to marriage and parenting to ensure that same-sex and different-sex couples are treated equally under the law. I am also proud to be the second Senate lead author of LRB 3137, which would give voters the opportunity to remove unenforceable language in the Wisconsin constitution that defines marriage as only between one man and one woman.

“It is long past time for our state constitution and our state statutes to reflect that marriage equality is the law of the land. Same-sex couples had their right to legally marry upheld in Wisconsin in June 2014, and the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed this right for same-sex couples across the country in Obergefell v. Hodges in June 2015.

“The Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus and I are proud to introduce these bills today. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that our state is just and equitable for all Wisconsinites, and hope that our legislative colleagues will join us in supporting these important bills.”