JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Republican Missouri lawmaker says he has a solution to end tense debates over same-sex marriage.

Rep. T.J. Berry wants to take government out of marriage and leave it to houses of worship by classifying such legal partnerships as domestic unions.

His bill, pre-filed ahead of the 2017 legislative session, has been met by criticism from LGBT rights and religious rights groups, who worry it would diminish the significance of marriage.

Human Rights Campaign legal director Sarah Warbelow says it could also mean couples in domestic unions wouldn’t get the same federal benefits as married couples.