PHOENIX (AP) -- Republican lawmakers on Monday proposed legislation to have Arizona voters decide in November whether to amend the Arizona Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, and 15 other GOP senators - a bare majority of the 30-member chamber - formally proposed a resolution (SCR1038) to place the proposed one-sentence referendum on the general election ballot.

Under the proposed constitution, "only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state."

An identical House version was being prepared for introduction Monday.

The referendum would go on the ballot two years after Arizona voters narrowly rejected a broader measure that included the same definition but also included wording that was interpreted as prohibiting government recognition of civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Arizona voters defeated the 2006 measure, Proposition 107, 52 percent to 48 percent. With the vote, Arizona became the first state to reject a marriage amendment. Seven other states approved amendments on Nov. 7, 2007.

Opponents of the 2006 measure in Arizona focused much of their campaign on the additional wording's reach, and a leading backer of both measures said the new one should be considered a "consensus measure" because it's solely intended to bar recognition of same-sex marriage.

"This amendment is about bringing Arizonans together on an issue enjoying widespread agreement - that marriage is a union of one man and one woman," said Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, an advocacy group for social conservatives.

Arizona already has a state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. That law withstood a 2003 court challenge, but a supporter of both measures said a constitutional amendment would provide a strong legal shield.

"It's not inconceivable that we could see a future challenge," said Ron Johnson, a lobbyist for the Roman Catholic Church's leadership in Arizona. "We're preparing for that."

State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Phoenix Democrat who led the opposition campaign to the 2006 measure, said she also opposes the new proposal.

"I don't think it's needed. I don't think it's necessary," she said. "We've already had this fight a couple of times."

Sinema acknowledged that many voters' objections to the 2006 measure centered on the additional wording, not the marriage definition.

However, many also "didn't see the need for putting something in the Constitution that was already in statute and had already withstood a court challenge," Sinema said.

Herrod, whose Scottsdale-based group helped lead the campaign on behalf of the 2006 measure, declined to comment on current campaign plans or fundraising.

"The campaign will start after the legislation is put on the ballot," she said.

Opponents of the 2006 measure outspent supporters by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. However, even that was misleading because much of the supporters' outlays paid for signature collection costs to put the measure on the ballot.

The introduction of the legislative resolutions for the new ballot measure comes as a state commission prepares to review state rule changes proposed by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano's administration. The changes would provide health care and other employee benefits to the domestic partners of state government employees and retirees, no matter the gender.

Social conservatives, including GOP lawmakers have criticized the rule proposals as undermining marriage. Napolitano's administration director has said the change would help with employee recruitment and retention.

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On the Net:

Arizona Legislature: http://www.azleg.gov

Center for Arizona Policy: http://www.azpolicy.org

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