Arkansas campaign to ban gay foster parents raises $9K

The Associated Press reports that backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children raised $9,000 last month.

That brings the Family Council Action Committee’s total contributions to nearly $55,000. The largest contribution – $2,000 – came from Roger and Bobbi Martin of Jacksonville. But the committee reported a debt of nearly $2,800 as of July 31, according to a report filed with the Secretary of State’s office. The group’s expenses total more than $57,000.

Committee president Jerry Cox says the group plans to turn in 24,000 signatures of registered voters on Thursday. Last month, the committee submitted signatures to get the measure on the November ballot, but fell short of the necessary 61,794 necessary signatures. The committee got another 30 days to gather more signatures.

7/24/2008
Arkansas ban on gay and lesbian parenting falls short of signatures

Arkansas News Bureau reports that supporters of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples living together [targeting lesbians and gays] from adopting or fostering children in Arkansas did not gather enough signatures to secure a place on the November ballot.

The Family Council Action Committee fell about 4,000 valid signatures short – but will have another 30 days to make up the difference.

One reason the group has had difficulty gathering the signatures is because the measure is more complicated to explain than the anti-gay marriage amendment it successfully petitioned to put on the ballot four years ago.

FCAC started its most recent anti-gay campaign for an adoption and fostering parenting initiative after the state Supreme Court in 2006 struck down a state policy that banned gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents.

Arkansas currently bars unmarried couples from serving as foster parents by policy – but not by law.v