Following a vote to advance legislation that would safeguard same-sex and interracial marriages under federal law, the legislation is now on track to be approved in its final form and is one step closer to becoming law.
The Respect for Marriage Act does not mandate that states grant marriage licenses to couples of the same gender, but it does mandate that states recognize same-sex marriages that take place in other jurisdictions.
In addition to this, under federal law, these marriages are recognized as valid for the purpose of qualifying for benefits such as Medicare and Social Security. The bill was able to pass the threshold of 60 votes needed to move forward thanks to the votes of all 50 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
After the Supreme Court’s decision this summer to overturn Roe v. Wade and perhaps call previous rulings into question, there has been a renewed effort to enact legislation that would codify existing marital rights.
In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out that the precedent-setting case that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, Obergefell v. Hodges, is founded on the same legal principles as Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade is considered to be the most important case in the history of the United States Supreme Court.
Advocates were concerned that Justice Thomas was laying the groundwork for the overturning of the Obergefell decision, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has not yet heard a case that challenges the freedom to marry.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, made this statement on the floor of the Senate: “The Supreme Court should not be in a position to undermine the stability of families with the stroke of a pen.”
Baldwin was one of the senators who proposed the measure and was the first openly gay person to hold a Senate position.
“This will provide the certainty, the dignity, and the respect that millions of loving couples require and that they deserve.”
During the summer, the House of Representatives was able to get its version of this bill passed. In the expectation of getting the necessary Republican support, Senate Democrats delayed bringing the bill to the floor of the chamber until after the November elections were over.
Senator Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate’s majority party, told reporters that “the vote today is confirmation that it was worth the wait.”
An amendment that includes language respecting religious liberty was proposed in the Senate on Monday by a group of senators from both parties.
Sen. Thom Thills, R-North Carolina, an additional bill cosponsor, stated that “as we went through this bill, we listened to the very sincere concerns of Americans with strongly held religious beliefs who simply wanted to make sure that Congress protects their First Amendment rights.
We were able to achieve a reasonable compromise with this piece of legislation by putting politics aside and putting in a lot of hard work behind the scenes over the course of several months.”
A conclusive vote might be held as soon as this coming week. If the bill is passed by the Senate, it will be sent back to the House of Representatives to be voted on again once any necessary amendments have been made.
Indiana GOP senators Votes on Wednesday were split between Todd Young and Mike Braun.
The Respect for Marriage Act was moved to a subsequent up-or-down vote on the Senate floor by a 62-37 vote of senators. The proposal needed 60 votes to pass in order to avoid a filibuster, which may have kept it from reaching President Joe Biden’s desk despite his prior assurances that he would sign it into law right away.
In a statement, Biden stated that “love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love. Today’s bipartisan vote brings the United States one step closer to protecting that right in law.”
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