House passes bill to codify marriage equality with broad bipartisan support

Nearly 50 House Republicans joined Democrats in passing legislation on Tuesday that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enshrine marriage equality in federal law.

Why it matters: The legislation, approved 267-157, is part of Democrats' response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month and Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas signaling that rulings on marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights and birth control could also be reconsidered.

47 Republicans voted for the legislation. Among the Republicans who voted yes were several members of the leadership: House Republican Conference Speaker Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), as well as Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the chairman of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus. The bill even received support from all four Utah members: Republican Representatives Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, Chris Stewart, and John Curtis. He was not, however, supported by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) or Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). House Republican leaders did not tell their members how to vote on the bill, but instead advised them to vote according to their conscience, a senior GOP official told Axios. The bill has a Republican sponsor, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), but none in the House.

At the heart of the news: A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday introduced the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires states to recognize all marriages if they were valid in the states where they were performed.< /p> The bill was introduced by a group of senior House and Senate Democrats as well as Collins. The bill also codifies the right to interracial marriage.

What they say: 'As this Court may target other fundamental rights, we cannot sit idly by as the hard-won gains of the equality movement are systematically eroded,' the President said of the House Judiciary, Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Monday