The Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) was considered today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and in response, the Defense of Marriage Act would be repealed in addition to amending current law to guarantee that the federal government recognize any married couple as legally valid in the state where the marriage was entered – even if the couple moves into a state where same-sex marriage is not recognized — if the bill continues to pass into legislation.
The Respect for Marriage Act was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 10-6 vote.
Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) opened the hearing by celebrating the LGBT victories in his home state of Vermont. The state has “long taken an active role in America’s journey to build a more just society,” said Leahy adding, “”[T]housands of American families are now being treated unfairly by their federal government,” in response to the discriminatory DOMA legislation, reports Metro Weekly.
Dianne Feinstein (D-California) added: “DOMA infringes on this state authority.”
Metro Weekly also reported that “three potential amendments, only one of which related to the RMA’s purposes, were circulated to committee members on Nov. 9.”
