The US Senate approved a bill on Tuesday to enshrine the protection of same-sex marriage in federal law.
The final vote was 61-37, which was supported by all members of the Democratic Party and Republicans, the latter being the same ones who supported the bill for a procedural vote at the beginning of November.
However, the House of Representatives must approve the legislation before sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law, but the House is expected to pass it before the end of the year, CNN reported.
Although the bill would not establish a national requirement that all states must legalize same-sex marriage, it would require individual states recognize the legal marriage of another state.
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The legislation cleared a procedural hurdle in early November, when the Senate voted 61- 61 to break an obstructionist maneuver.
The senators Republicans Rob Portman of Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, as well as Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Kristen Sinema of Arizona, previously said they were looking forward to the legislation.
For his part, Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, cited those five senators this Tuesday morning during his speech for their “outstanding and tireless work” on the historic legislation.
“For millions of e American, today is a very good day,” Schumer said. “An important day. A day that has been a long time coming.”
The bill was able to find support from Republican senators, a sign of the growing support for same-sex marriage in recent years, including in deeply conservative states as well.