US House passes measure protecting same-sex marriage; no West Virginia delegates back legislation

[Pete Ross Junior]

US House passes measure protecting same-sex marriage; no West Virginia delegates back legislation
Metro News (West Virginia)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure Tuesday to codify the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on same-sex and interracial marriages, in which none of West Virginia’s delegates voted for the legislation.

The chamber approved House Resolution 8404 — the Respect for Marriage Act — in a 267-157 vote; 47 Republicans joined 220 Democrats in backing the measure.

Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., voted against the bill, arguing marriage is a union “between a man and a woman.” Reps. David McKinley and Carol Miller were among the seven Republicans who did not vote.

The Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. The measure also replaces language to require states to recognize marriages from other states regardless of people’s sexual orientation, sex or race.

The Supreme Court determined in 2013 that the enactment of the Defense of Marriage Act deprived same-sex couples of certain rights. Justices ruled two years later that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of same-sex couples to marry, and states must recognize same-sex marriages.

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