Only one member of the Illinois GOP House delegation voted today in favor to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages.
Outgoing 13th District Congressman Rodney Davis voted ‘yes’ to the measure; with Congressmen Mike Bost and Darin LaHood and Congresswoman Mary Miller all voting ‘no.’ Outgoing Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger did not vote on the measure.
In a tweet prior to the vote this afternoon Miller chided the bill calling it the “Anti-Marriage Act” saying it was an attack on “churches, religious institutions, and Americans of faith for believing that marriage is between one man and one woman.”
After the vote, Davis told the Bloomington Pantagraph: “I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act because it’s the right thing to do. Nobody should face discrimination or be subject to a different set of rules because of their race or sexual orientation. This is about equal protection under the law for all families regardless of where they live.”
Only 38 other Republicans in the House voted to clear the measure that passed 258-169. The U.S. Senate passed the bill last week 61-36. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The push to pass the legislation had been taken up by Congress in the wake of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion in the Roe v. Wade case said the higher court should also reconsider precedents enshrining marriage equality and access to contraception.
Once signed into law, the Respect for Marriage Act will prohibit states from denying the validity of an out-of-state marriage based on sex, race or ethnicity effectively repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by former President Bill Clinton.