- A bipartisan group of senators released the text of their amendment to a bill that codifies same-sex marriage.
- The bill easily passed the House in July, but GOP senators wanted further religious protections.
A bipartisan group of senators released the text of their amended version of a bill that codifies same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law on Monday, saying they're "confident" that new changes will give the bill the Republican support needed to surpass 60 votes and pass the chamber.
Those changes include language ensuring that religious institutions and groups will not see their religious liberties diminished by the bill, clarifies that the bill does not legalize polygamous marriages, and includes language recognizing "diverse beliefs" about marriage.
"Diverse beliefs about the role of gender in marriage are held by reasonable and sincere people based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises. Therefore, Congress affirms that such people and their diverse beliefs are due proper respect," reads a passage in the "findings" section of the Respect for Marriage Act.
A Gallup poll from June 2021 found that 71% of Americans — including 55% of Republicans — support same-sex marriage.
In a statement, the group of senators — which includes Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well as Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — touted the addition of "commonsense language" that "fully respects and protects Americans' religious liberties and diverse beliefs."
"We look forward to this legislation coming to the floor and are confident that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our commonsense legislation into law," the senators said.
Semafor reported on Monday that the bill would come up for a vote this coming week, citing an anonymous Senate aide. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
"All I will say is that we are pushing for a vote as soon as possible," Eli Rosen, press secretary for Sen. Baldwin, told Insider via email.
The announcement comes almost four months after the bill sailed through the House with unexpected bipartisan support, with every Democrat and even 47 Republicans voting for it. Democratic leadership put the bill on the floor amid concerns that same-sex marriage — which became legal nationwide following the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 — was now at risk in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell," wrote conservative Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion to the June ruling.
A handful of Republican senators stated their support for the bill following House passage, though some balked at the necessity of the legislation.
"I know plenty of gay people in Florida that are pissed off about gas prices," Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida told Insider at the time, calling same-sex marriage a "non-issue."
The bipartisan group crafted the amendment language with the intention of gaining the ten Republican votes necessary to break the 60-vote Senate filibuster threshold and pass the legislation. That included delaying a previously-planned vote before the midterm elections.
If the amended bill passes the Senate, the House will have to vote on the measure again before January. President Joe Biden would then sign the bill into law.