{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/12/rep-sewell-votes-to-enshrine-marriage-equality-under-federal-law", "Rep. Sewell Votes to Enshrine Marriage Equality Under Federal Law", "2022-12-08", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) voted to send H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, to President Biden\u2019s desk. This landmark legislation, which passed the House today by a vote of 258 to 169, takes several key steps to defend marriage equality: officially repealing the unconstitutional \u201cDefense of Marriage Act\u201d (DOMA), upholding couples\u2019 right to equal protection under federal law, and requiring states to recognize valid out-of-state marriages.\n\n\u201cNo American should be discriminated against because of who they love,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cAs the Supreme Court threatens to strip away more of Americans\u2019 hard-fought personal liberties, I\u2019m proud that this Democratic Congress is standing up for the dignity and equality of every American by sending the Respect for Marriage Act to President Biden\u2019s desk. As the representative of America\u2019s Civil Rights District, I will always fight for the equal treatment of all Americans under the law!\u201d\n\nSince the Republican-appointed Supreme Court\u2019s outrageous Dobbs decision, right-wing extremists have set their sights on stripping away Americans\u2019 basic personal freedoms. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called for the Court to reconsider its Obergefell decision upholding marriage equality.\n\nThe Respect for Marriage Act will take several steps to protect same-sex and interracial marriages:\n\nRepealing the \u201cDefense of Marriage Act\u201d: 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.\n\nEnshrining Marriage Equality Into Federal Law: This legislation will uphold married couples\u2019 right to equal protection in all areas covered under federal law, such as Social Security, tax filings and veterans\u2019 benefits.\n\nBarring 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.\n\nPreviously passed by the House earlier this year, the Respect for Marriage Act was amended and advanced by the Senate last week. With today\u2019s vote in the House, the final bill now heads to the President\u2019s desk for his signature.\n\nThe 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\u2019s Law Center and PFLAG.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/12/rep-sewell-votes-to-enshrine-marriage-equality-under-federal-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8890859317034483, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}