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The U.S. Home of Representatives on Thursday took a remaining vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, sending the landmark laws to President Joe Biden’s desk the place it is going to be signed into regulation with 258 votes in favor, 169 opposed, and one member voting “current.”
Members within the decrease chamber had already handed the Respect for Marriage Act this summer season, 267-167, with 47 Republican “sure” votes. The matter earlier than the Home at the moment was whether or not to approve an modification that was added by the U.S. Senate to enshrine protections for non secular liberties.
The Senate cleared the Respect for Marriage Act on Nov. 29, simply barely clearing the 60-vote threshold to avert a filibuster with 61 votes in favor of passing the laws.
As soon as signed into regulation, the invoice will shield same-sex {couples} within the U.S. from lots of the most dangerous penalties that may outcome if the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturns or considerably weakens constitutional protections for same-sex marriage.
After voting at the moment, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) advised the Washington Blade exterior the Speaker’s Foyer within the U.S. Capitol that passage of this invoice is “actually a watershed second,” because it marks “the primary time we’ve adopted marriage equality legislatively on this nation.”
When New Hampshire’s legislature handed same-sex marriage in 2009, “on the time, we wanted to make some clarifications within the textual content of the laws to guard non secular freedom to convey alongside the bulk that we wanted to cross the invoice,” mentioned Pappas, who’s the state’s first brazenly homosexual member of Congress.
“This can be a comparable scenario, right here, to get to 60 within the Senate,” for a filibuster proof majority, and “to get an enormous bipartisan vote within the Home,” Pappas mentioned, including that “in a logical world” the modification may earn a number of extra GOP votes this time round.
“Congress has restored a measure of safety to tens of millions of marriages and households,” President Biden mentioned in an announcement following the vote. “They’ve additionally supplied hope and dignity to tens of millions of younger individuals throughout this nation who can develop up realizing that their authorities will acknowledge and respect the households they construct.”
Requested what to anticipate from the subsequent Congress by way of legislative protections for LGBTQ rights, Pappas mentioned it is going to be vital to proceed conversations concerning the Equality Act to convey extra Republican Members on board.
Moreover, he mentioned, “I’m engaged on laws that offers with the legacy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Inform,’ and ensuring that our veterans get entry to the care and advantages that they deserve.” Hundreds of service members had been “discharged wrongfully from the navy simply due to who they had been, and whereas the administration has taken some constructive steps, we have to submit laws to ensure they get the assistance they want,” Pappas mentioned.
The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus launched an announcement celebrating the Home’s vote on Thursday.
“The Respect for Marriage Act is a bipartisan triumph and a testomony that love will all the time win in the long run,” mentioned U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who chairs the caucus.
“After the Dobbs v. Jackson Girls’s Well being Group determination and Justice Thomas’ alarming concurring opinion, it turned crucial that Congress do all the pieces we constitutionally may do to make sure that marriages throughout this nation proceed to be protected,” he mentioned. “At this time, Congress did what wanted to be carried out.”
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) additionally launched an announcement.
“We’re thrilled that the Respect for Marriage Act handed each the Senate and the Home with strong bipartisan assist. This commonsense laws gives certainty to tens of millions of loving {couples} in same-sex and interracial marriages, who will proceed to benefit from the freedoms, rights, and obligations afforded to all different marriages,” it learn. “On the identical time, our laws absolutely respects and protects non secular liberty and various beliefs about marriage. This is a crucial and historic step ahead in making certain dignity and respect for all People.”
Story courtesy of the Washington Blade courtesy of the Nationwide LGBTQ Media Affiliation. The Nationwide LGBTQ Media Affiliation represents 13 legacy publications in main markets throughout the nation with a collective readership of greater than 400K in print and greater than 1 million + on-line. Study extra right here: https://nationallgbtmediaassociation.com/
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