LITTLE ROCK—Seeing the attention given to New York state for their passage of a law allowing same-*** marriage, the state of Arkansas decided to garner a little fanfare of their own. However, in their haste to rush their own bill through the legislature, they made a grave error that wasn't noticed until after the bill passed: A clerk had accidentally typed "domesticated partner" rather than "domestic partner."
Sen. David Burnett said, "Technically, as of today, people are legally able to marry their choice of 'domesticated' partner, which could mean, for example, a dog or a cow." Unfortunately, fixing the mistake isn't as simple as having the Code Revision Commission add a dab of correction fluid. Circuit Judge Tom J. Keith has ruled that the commission only has the authority to correct typos, but not to change words that would alter the meaning of the law in any way.
The Legislative Council has called to reconvene a special session on Monday, noting the importance of closing the loophole before people take advantage of it by marrying animals and listing them as dependents for income tax deductions. Bill sponsor Rep. Kathy Webb said, "Once we're in session, we just want to vote, get out of there and go home. We don't have the kind of time necessary to actually read these things."