A senate panel will meet early next week to consider an ethics complaint against a senator who’s a critic of gay marriage.
The Iowa Senate’s Ethics Committee will convene at noon on Tuesday to review the complaint against Senator Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton.
Former State Representative Ed Fallon, a Democrat from Des Moines, argues it was inappropriate for Bartz to urge county recorders to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Fallon, a supporter of gay marriage, says it was wrong for an elected official like Bartz to urge the public to pressure county recorders to deny marriage licenses to gay couples.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa condemns Fallon’s complaint. The A.C.L.U. says it would be a violation of Senator Bartz’s free speech rights if he were punished for what he has said and written.