While two top Democrats in the Iowa legislature issued a statement last Friday applauding the Iowa Supreme Court ruling which legalized same-sex marriages in the state, another Democratic leader in the state senate says he supports an amendment to the state constitution which would ban gay marriage in Iowa.

Senator Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, is the president of the Iowa Senate. "All I’ll say is that if I get a chance to vote for an amendment, I will," Kibbie says. "…For me to cast my ‘yes’ vote, we need to get a document in front of us."

Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal said Friday that as long as he’s the floor leader in the senate, that vote will not be scheduled and Gronstal repeated that vow on Monday evening.

"I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other and want state law to recognize that. Is that so wrong?" Gronstal asked, rhetorically, during remarks on the Senate floor. "I don’t think that’s so wrong."

Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton criticized Gronstal immediately afterwards. "As senators, we are elected by the people to be representatives of the people. We should not be afraid to debate and vote on difficult issues. That’s why we were elected in the first place," McKinley said. "Instead, your response is pure obstruction."

But could there be a action yet this year in the House on the issue? The 56 Democrats in the Iowa House met privately for a few hours Monday, discussing the issue and House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines suggests it’s an open question at this point.

"I don’t believe it’s my job to be parochial in these matters and so I want the decision that the House Democrats arrive at to be reflective of the House Democrats’ collective opinion," McCarthy says. "And that’s what we’re working through."

McCarthy, who is a lawyer, says it’s complicated and he and other Democratic legislators may need more time to develop a response to Friday’s ruling on gay marriage. "These are difficult issues that involve matters of faith, people’s deeply held religious views, so you’ve really got to let people be heard on these issues, I think," McCarthy says.

Republicans in the House vow to use rare parliamentary move to force a vote on the matter. Representative Dwayne Alons, a Republican from Hull, says the objective is to pass a resolution so a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage could be placed before voters in 2012. "People are concerned and upset and feel that something should be done, other than some judges making a decision," Alons says.

House Speaker Pat Murphy, a Democrat from Dubuque, on Friday issued a joint statement with Senate Leader Gronstal, congratulating "thousands of Iowans who now can express their love for each other and have it recognized by our laws." Neither McCarthy nor Kibbie signed onto that statement.

Secretary of State Michael Mauro on Monday suggested voters may have another option in November of 2010. Read more about it.

There’s another option for opponents of gay marriage who hope to amend Iowa’s constitution and ban same-sex marriage in Iowa. An Iowa Supreme Court ruling issued last Friday paves the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry in Iowa later this month.

Under the traditional method of amending the state’s constitution, 2012 is the earliest an amendment banning gay marriage could be placed on the ballot. But Secretary of State Michael Mauro says in 2010, Iowans can vote to convene a constitutional convention to consider amendments to the document.

"If it were to happen, it opens up many possibilities to make all kinds of amendments," Mauro says. "It’s wide open."

If a constitutional convention comes up with an amendment or amendments to place before Iowa voters, a special election could be scheduled in 2011 according to Mauro. Mauro, the state’s top election official, says a constitutional convention could not rewrite the entire state constitution and would be restricted to proposing amendments — but there’s no limit on the number of amendments which could be proposed.

"The legislature — the General Assembly — would have to put together a way of electing delegates (to a constitutional convention)," Mauro says. "And then these delegates can come back with all different kinds of changes, including putting anything in there, like asking for propositions to be put on the ballot like some of these other states do, to making some very radical changes."

Since 1970, Iowa voters have been asked once a decade whether they are in favor of a convention where amendments to the state’s constitution would be drafted. The proposal has overwhelmingly failed in the past four decades, but

Mauro suggests in 2010 gay marriage opponents may unite with others who want to amend the state’s constitution, like those who want cities and counties to have authority over large-scale hog lots.

"It opens up a world of possibilities and a lot of maneuvering to see how this process could be put together," Mauro says. "…It’s going to provide for very interesting debate, something we’ve never seen."

If, in 2010, a majority of Iowa voters agree a constitutional convention should convene, Iowa legislators would have to come up with a method of electing delegates in 2011. As for his views on gay marriage, Mauro, a Democrat who is a Catholic, says his religion teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman.