U.S. Senate voted 49-48 and ended discussion of the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Eleven more votes were needed to bring the proposal to a final vote. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-fourths of the state legislature. That means 67 votes in the Senate and 38 out of 50 state legislators.

Senate majority leader and Tennessee Republican Bill Frist proposed the amendment. Democrats are saying this was an action designed to force debate on this particular issue in order to rally conservative support. Republicans are currently the Senate majority at 55-45.

Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, has stated that this proposal does not accurately reflect the concerns of the voters saying, “This issue came in number 33.”