The Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to codify protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday after garnering enough support from Senate Republicans. Why it matters: A motion to advance debate on the bill passed 62-37, more than the 60 votes needed to break a Senate vote, signaling the legislation has the support to pass the chamber. What caught our eye: Twelve Senate Republicans voted with all Democrats to pass the bill.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Thom Tillis (RN.C.) joined the effort to win GOP votes for the bill and were expected to vote for it. The others who voted for it were Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Richard Burr (RN.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (RW.Va.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mitt Romney (R. -Utah), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The bill was supported primarily by the Mormon church.
What’s next: If the amended bill passes the Senate, it will go back to the House for another vote. If it clears both chambers, it will head to President Biden’s office.
Key House Democrats, including House Committee on LGBTQ+ Equality Chairman David Cicilline (DR.I.) and House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.), told Axios that the changes likely would not prevent the House from approving the bill again.
The background: The bill was introduced in July after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ ruling in a concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson that decisions like Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage, could be threatened.
It passed the House later that month with the support of nearly 50 Republicans. In the Senate, the bill’s progress slowed as Republican senators sought changes to clarify that it would not infringe on religious freedom. It was eventually shelved until the Nov. 8 midterm elections, with two aides in both parties telling Axios it was the best way to garner GOP votes. On Monday, the bipartisan group of senators working on the bill announced an agreement on changes.
What they say: “Love is love and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love,” President Biden said in a statement after the vote.
Biden urged Congress to “quickly” send the bill to his desk and said he would sign it into law.
This story has been updated with additional details.
