All of the Democrats and 39 Republicans who were present in the House voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which has now been forwarded to President Biden, The Hill reported.
The Defense of Marriage Act would be officially repealed under the measure, which was approved by a vote of 258-169-1, and states would be required to recognize same-sex marriage and multiracial unions legally consummated in other states.
The measure was first passed by the House in July, and this week it was adopted by the Senate with changes that included safeguards for religious exemptions and made it clear that polygamy is not recognized. After that, the law had to be approved by the House, which it did on Thursday.
A number of Republicans in the lower chamber supported the bill in July before voting against it on the second vote, while a handful initially opposed the bill before supporting it. Nevertheless, the law gained some degree of bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.
The 10 House Republicans who changed their votes on the same-sex marriage legislation are listed below.
Rep. Cliff Bentz (Ore.), who had initially supported the measure in July, changed his vote to “no” on Thursday. He hasn’t given an explanation of why he changed his vote in public.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.) likewise changed his vote from being in favor to being against the measure. He said on Monday that he intended to oppose the proposal because it lacked “appropriate protections” for religiously-motivated faith-based groups.
Concerned about the bill’s provisions for religious freedom, Rep. Brian Mast (Fla.) also objected to the most recent version. Before the vote, he argued on the House floor that the language should be changed to safeguard “the free practice thereof,” a right guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution.
The bill, according to Rep. Dan Meuser (Pa.), “goes beyond marriage” and undermines religious freedoms that are “essential to our society,” thus he voted against it on Thursday. In contrast to the House version, he claimed, the Senate version of the bill contains provisions that threaten groups’ right to practice their religion and subject them to civil litigation.
Due to a shortage of time, Rep. Scott Perry (Pa.) claimed that his earlier vote in support of the bill was a mistake. According to Perry, who claimed that the bill had been hurried to the floor and that he had only been there as the vote was taking place, Axios reported.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.) expressed her disappointment with the bill’s lack of “complete protections” for churches and people with “sincerely held religious convictions” in a statement following the vote.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.) initially supported the legislation but then abstained due to reservations about the provisions pertaining to religious freedom. He told Axios that he “certainly” spoke to constituents who were angry about the measure and that he believed their arguments to be compelling.
One of the two Republicans who first voted against the measure before changing their minds was Rep. Mike Gallagher (Wis.).
He said that his second vote in support of the bill was influenced by a religious liberty amendment and a Senate-added clarification that polygamy is not permitted.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.) similarly changed her mind on the measure, going from opposing it in July to supporting it on Thursday, but she hasn’t explained why in the open. Next month, when her stint in Congress comes to an end, she will resign.
Rep. Burgess Owens (Utah) was the sole member of the House to cast a “present” vote on Thursday after previously supporting the measure.
He asserted that people and small-business owners must have clear legal protection if religious freedom is to thrive. He continued by saying that upholding the rights of churches and other religious institutions just “scratches the surface” of their First Amendment rights.
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