By David Miller

   Washington, D.C. – By a vote of 49 in favor and 48 against, the U.S. Senate today failed to garner enough votes to pass a proposed constitutional amendment to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

   The process to amend the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths (38) of the states.

   Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, called the vote a “travesty”, and in so doing echoed the sentiments of pro-family leaders across the nation.

   “Today’s vote by our senators,” said Burress, “is a vote not only against marriage as it has been honored throughout the history of civilization, but also against the expressed will of the people.”

   Burress pointed to Alabama as the most recent example confirming his point.

   “The people of Alabama,” he said, “voted just yesterday to approve a marriage protection amendment by an overwhelming 81 percent majority. That brings to 45 the number of states that have either a constitutional amendment or state statute defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman only. Of those 20 states with recently enacted amendments, the popular vote has averaged over 71 percent.

   “Clearly, the people have spoken. Clearly, the Senate has ignored them.”

   Burress applauded Senator Frist (R-TN) and Senator Santorum (R-PA) for leading the Marriage Protection Amendment drive in the Senate. He also expressed thanks to Ohio’s Senators Voinovich and DeWine for voting in favor of the amendment.

   “We’ve known all along that this would be a long fight,” Burress lamented. “But the fight is far from over."

   “In 2004, several new Senators were elected who voted for marriage today. Yesterday, we had another roll call in the Senate. Next month we’ll have a vote in the House. And in November, we have another round of elections."

   “Sooner or later, elected officials will learn that we values voters consider the protection of marriage the single most important issue facing this nation today.”

   In Washington, Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and another member of the Arlington Group on which Burress serves, said that discussions already were underway for the formation of a new political action entity that will focus on removing the obstacles to the passage and ratification of the Marriage Protection Amendment.

   U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session

   as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

   Vote Summary Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of 1 ) S. J. Res.

   Vote Number: 163, Vote Date: June 7, 2006, 10:02 AM

   Required For Majority: 3/5, Vote Result:Cloture Motion Rejected

   Vote Counts:YEAs 49, NAYs 48, Not Voting 3

   Grouped By Vote Position YEAs-49

   Alexander(R-TN)

   Allard(R-CO)

   Allen(R-VA)

   Bennett(R-UT)

   Bond(R-MO)

   Brownback(R-KS)

   Bunning(R-KY)

   Burns(R-MT)

   Burr(R-NC)

   Byrd(D-WV)

   Chambliss(R-GA)

   Coburn(R-OK)

   Cochran(R-MS)

   Coleman(R-MN)

   Cornyn(R-TX)

   Craig(R-ID)

   Crapo(R-ID

   DeMint(R-SC)

   DeWine(R-OH)

   Dole(R-NC)

   Domenici(R-NM)

   Ensign(R-NV)

   Enzi(R-WY)

   Frist(R-TN)

   Graham(R-SC)

   Grassley(R-IA)

   Hatch(R-UT)

   Hutchison(R-TX)

   Inhofe(R-OK)

   Isakson(R-GA)

   Kyl(R-AZ)

   Lott(R-MS)

   Lugar(R-IN)

   Martinez(R-FL)

   McConnell(R-KY)

   Murkowski(R-AK)

   Nelson(D-NE)

   Roberts(R-KS)

   Santorum(R-PA)

   Sessions(R-AL)

   Shelby(R-AL)

   Smith(R-OR)

   Stevens(R-AK)

   Talent(R-MO)

   Thomas(R-WY)

   Thune(R-SD)

   Vitter(R-LA)

   Voinovich(R-OH)

   Warner(R-VA)

   NAYs-48

   Akaka(D-HI)

   Baucus(D-MT)

   Bayh(D-IN)

   Biden(D-DE)

   Bingaman(D-NM)

   Boxer(D-CA)

   Cantwell(D-WA)

   Carper(D-DE)

   Chafee(R-RI)

   Clinton(D-NY)

   Collins(R-ME)

   Conrad(D-ND)

   Dayton(D-MN)

   Dorgan(D-ND)

   Durbin(D-IL)

   Feingold(D-WI)

   Feinstein (D-CA)

   Gregg(R-NH)

   Harkin(D-IA)

   Inouye(D-HI)

   Jeffords(I-VT)

   Johnson(D-SD)

   Kennedy(D-MA)

   Kerry(D-MA)

   Kohl(D-WI)

   Landrieu(D-LA)

   Lautenberg(D-NJ)

   Leahy(D-VT)

   Levin(D-MI)

   Lieberman(D-CT)

   Lincoln(D-AR)

   McCain(R-AZ)

   Menendez(D-NJ)

   Mikulski(D-MD)

   Murray(D-WA)

   Nelson(D-FL)

   Obama(D-IL)

   Pryor(D-AR)

   Reed(D-RI)

   Reid(D-NV)

   Salazar(D-CO)

   Sarbanes(D-MD)

   Schumer(D-NY)

   Snowe(R-ME)

   Specter(R-PA)

   Stabenow(D-MI)

   Sununu(R-NH)

   Wyden(D-OR

   Not Voting-3

   Dodd(D-CT)

   Hagel(R-NE)

   Rockefeller(D-WV)