The Senate on Wednesday voted 62-37 to break the filibuster on a bill that will codify same-sex marriage into law. There could be additional votes before final passage, but Wednesday’s test vote signals that the bill is likely to pass.
While the bill would not set a national requirement that all states must legalize same-sex marriage, it would require individual states to recognize another state’s legal marriage. So, in the event the Supreme Court might overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage, a state could still pass a law to ban same-sex marriage, but that state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state.
All 50 members of the Democratic caucus voted to start debate on the bill as well as 12 Republicans. The GOP senators who voted yes are:
- Susan Collins of Maine
- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
- Rob Portman of Ohio
- Mitt Romney of Utah
- Thom Tillis of North Carolina
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
- Richard Burr of North Carolina
- Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
- Dan Sullivan of Alaska
- Joni Ernst of Iowa
- Todd Young of Indiana
Without an agreement to speed up passage of the bill that needs consent from all 100 senators, final passage will likely occur after the Senate returns from Thanksgiving recess.
