INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Indiana's House of Representatives has approved a proposal that would place the state's gay marriage ban in the constitution.

The House narrowly voted 57-40 Tuesday in favor of the measure. The proposed ban now heads to the Indiana Senate, where members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are set to take up the issue.

The vote followed weeks of uncertainty for a measure that swept through the General Assembly with ease just three years ago.

The House measure leaves open the door for approval of civil unions and employer benefits for same-sex couples. It also would potentially reset the clock on Indiana's lengthy process of amending the constitution. But Senate Republicans could potentially place the measure back on course to appear on the November ballot.