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The “Respect for Marriage” Act passed the U.S. House today, sending the bill on to President Biden for his signature.
The bill had already passed the House back in July, but the Senate made some changes to that bill. The revised bill passed the Senate 61-36, with 12 Republicans joining the Democrats to get it passed.
The vote today in the House was 258-169, with thirty-nine Republicans joining with Democrats to pass it.
The bill enshrines marriage equality in federal law, thus protecting same-sex and interracial marriages from constitutional challenges in the courts. There was concern that the rationale for overturning Roe v Wade could be used to undo previous decisions that allowed for gay and interracial marriages.
As noted by the Washington Post, “The Respect for Marriage Act would not force states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples but would require that people be considered married in any state as long as the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed.”
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