Following the Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the House passed the legislation on December 8 and now it heads to the desk of President Biden to be enshrined into law.
The law would ensure federal protections for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples.
With the Respect for Marriage Act, the Federal government will recognize marriages that were validly performed and guarantee full benefits “regardless of the couple’s sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
It also requires states to recognize legal marriages performed in other states. It would not, however, require states to issue marriage licenses contrary to state law.
The legislation is overwhelmingly supported by public support for legal same-sex marriage, which hit a new high of 71% in June, according to Galllup tracking polls.
