US House passes bill to protect same-sex marriage

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives on Tuesday (local time) passed a bill to protect marriage equality amid fears that the Supreme Court could roll back recognition of same-sex marriage, The Hill reported.

The legislation, titled the Respect for Marriage Act, passed in a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure.

Seven Republicans did not vote, as per The Hill.

The bill will now go to the Senate for a vote, where it faces unclear odds in the evenly divided chamber. Democrats have 50 seats in the 100-member Senate and 10 Republican votes would be needed to bring the measure to the floor.

House Democrats introduced the Respect for Marriage Act and brought it to the floor for a vote as a preemptive step to protect LGBTQ rights in case the court moves to chip away at the two cases in the future.

Last week, the House cleared two bills to protect access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

During debate on the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), a sponsor of the bill, said it would “reaffirm that marriage equality is and must remain the law of the land,” adding that marriage equality “is and should forever be considered settled law.” “All married people who are building their lives together must know that the government will respect and recognize their marriages for all time,” he added.