House Votes to Codify Same-Sex Marriage as 47 Republicans Join All Democrats in Voting Yes
The House of Representatives passed a bill to codify same-sex marriage into law Tuesday, and 47 Republicans joined every Democrat in voting in favor of it.
Democrats announced a vote on the matter amid anxiety the Supreme Court might overturn 2015’s decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which struck down state bans on same-sex marriage.
The ruling made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Since the court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats have expressed fears cases such as Obergefell are in jeopardy. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas named Obergefell as a decision the court should reexamine if given the opportunity.
H.R. 8404, also called the Respect for Marriage Act, passed 267 -157. Notable Republicans who voted for passage include Nancy Mace (SC), Lee Zeldin (NY), Tom Rice (SC), Darrell Issa (CA), and Liz Cheney (WY).
“To repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and ensure respect for State regulation of marriage, and for other purposes,” the resolution says.
The Respect for Marriage Act adds:
This bill provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages.
Specifically, the bill repeals and replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.)
The bill also repeals and replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin…. The bill allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said after the bill passed the Senate might not immediately take up the matter this session, according to Igor Bobic of HuffPost.
Durbin says it will be tough to schedule votes in the Senate on bills protecting gay marriage, contraception given the packed calendar.
“We have more priorities than we have time,” he says
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) July 19, 2022
Watch above, via C-SPAN.
