WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. Senate voted and passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday without passing any of the amendments that sought to safeguard religious liberty.  

The bill enshrines same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law, and was approved 61-36 on Tuesday with the support of 12 Republicans.  While the bill would not allow for polygamous unions nor force any state to allow same-sex couples to marry, it would require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed, and protect already formed same-sex unions should the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision be overturned like Roe. 

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“Our community really needs a win, we have been through a lot,”  Incoming President of Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson said – which advocates on LGBTQ issues, “As a queer person who is married, I feel a sense of relief right now. I know my family is safe.”

President Joe Biden also weighed in on the decision via a statement:

“Importantly, the Senate’s passage of the Respect for Marriage Act is a bipartisan achievement. I’m grateful to the determined Members of Congress — especially Senators Baldwin, Collins, Portman, Sinema, Tillis, and Feinstein — whose leadership has underscored that Republicans and Democrats together support the essential right of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples to marry. I look forward to welcoming them at the White House after the House passes this legislation and sends it to my desk, where I will promptly and proudly sign it into law,” he said. 

The 12 Republicans that helped pass the bill were Sens. Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.), Susan Collins (Maine), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.), and Todd Young (Ind.).  

The lead negotiators were – Collins, Portman, and Tillis – with three Republican amendments on the table.  

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“Tonight, the Senate took a historic step to help prevent discrimination, promote equality and protect the rights of all Americans by passing the Respect for Marriage Act that @SenatorBaldwin and I authored,” Collins wrote on Twitter. “Our bill would help ensure everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn both voted against the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday.  According to the Texas Tribune Cruz and Cornyn objected to the bill, asserting that it infringed on religious liberty by opening a pathway to lawsuits against religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage.  The amendments by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Marco Rubio (R-Flo.) all sought to address the lack of protections for religious and private institutions that disagree with same-sex unions, but all three were voted down.