Day 1: Stam invokes Defense of Marriage, and other notes from the Ledge
Well, that was fast. Within one hour of the 2009-10 N.C. General Assembly’s opening session–and shortly after being defeated, along party lines, by Joe Hackney, D-Chatham, for the position of House Speaker–Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake, invoked the Defense of Marriage Act. He did so while arguing, fruitlessly, against temporarily approving the legislature’s house rules, a formality of the inaugural session.
Apparently, Stam’s disapproval has also been an opening-day formality, at least for the past two decades.
“It’s been since 1989 that I’ve voted to approve the temporary rules,” he said.
At issue was the technical definition of “committee chair” that, according to the rules, also includes co-chairs. In the case of the all-powerful appropriations committee, Stam noted, that means a total of eight positions doled out by Speaker Hackney and his Democratic majority–in addition to the party-apportioned committee membership.
“In 2009, we are going to have a tough budget year. Major decisions will be decided by the co-chairs solely,” Stam claimed. “If I were in the majority party, I’d want to share some of that pain.”
Stam turned to the Defense of Marriage Act, which would constitutionally prohibit same-sex couples from marrying, as an example of why he’s upset the majority party is hogging all that pain.
“We’re the only state in the Southeast without a marriage amendment,” he said, owing to the bill not being heard “because of these rules.”
Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, who nominated Stam for the speaker position with an odd speech that invoked “The Dark Night” (”It’s always darkest before the dawn”) and something about how “the beautiful red cardinal returns after the pall of winter is lifted,” also backed up Stam on his motion to deny the rules.
That prompted Bill Owens, D-Camden–who made the original motion to accept the rules– to reply: “If you’ve got the votes, Rep. Lewis, you can change (the rules).”
