WC Wisconsin News

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) points to all the reasons why she is such a firm supporter of the Respect for Marriage Act, which easily passed the Senate this week to go back to the House of Representatives.

“Whether it’s a family member, a friend, or a staffer we all know someone who is in a same-sex or interracial marriage,” Baldwin tweeted this week. “That’s why I’m working across party lines to ensure their marriages are protected.” 

The measure passed the Senate 61-36 on Nov. 29. It seeks to revoke the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, paving the way for states to refuse the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states. If the measure formally becomes law, marriage equality would become a federal law, with marriage between same-sex- and interracial couples also being legally protected across the country.

While states will still not be required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, The Washington Post reported that those unions would be legally recognized and protected, even if they were performed in other states.

Baldwin was first elected to the Senate in 2013, and her current term runs through 2025. Before being elected to her Senate seat, she served six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013.