Congress Examines Same-Sex Marriage

Legislation recently filed in the House and Senate would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The legislation would also require the federal government to recognize any state recognized marriage. On Wednesday, a woman and two men went before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to explain how they have been denied benefits because of they are homosexual.

There is no date set for a vote on the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, though the repeal will likely face harsher prospects in the Republican-controlled House than in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

See David Ingram, Congress examines federal role in marriage laws, The National Law Journal, Jul. 20, 2011.