Rep. Brown Celebrates the Passage of Respect for Marriage Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11) issued the following statement regarding the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act:

"The ability to devote ourselves to whom we love through the sacred institution of marriage is a right, not a privilege," Rep. Shontel Brown said. "Today, Congress reaffirmed this by passing the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages while also prohibiting state officials from discriminating against such couples, protecting more of our cherished freedoms.

"I proudly cast my vote to safeguard marriage equality today because it is our duty as Members of Congress to protect American liberties and act on the will of the people. Thanks to the support of bipartisan Senators, we have finally achieved marriage equality and have proven that love transcends political party lines."

Background

The Respect for Marriage Act will take several steps to protect the inviolability of same-sex and interracial marriages:

• Repealing the “Defense of Marriage Act”: While the Supreme Court has effectively voided DOMA, this unconstitutional and discriminatory federal law still remains on the books.  The Respect for Marriage Act will repeal this statute once and for all.

• Enshrining Marriage Equality into Federal Law: This legislation will uphold married couples’ right to equal protection in all areas covered under federal law, such as Social Security, tax filings and veterans’ benefits.

• Barring Discrimination by State Officials: This legislation prohibits state officials from denying recognition of an out-of-state marriage on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.”

Previously passed by the House earlier this year, the Respect for Marriage Act was amended and advanced by the Senate last week.  With today’s vote in the House, the final bill now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.

The Respect for Marriage Act is strongly supported by leading advocacy organizations, including the ACLU, Center for American Progress, Equality Federation, Family Equality, Freedom for All Americans, GLAD, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Women’s Law Center and PFLAG.

The full text of the legislation is available HERE.

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