Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, left, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., arrive earlier than a joint assembly of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Utah’s senators have emerged as key gamers within the Senate’s debate over same-sex marriage. Andrew Harnik, Related Press
Utah’s two Republican senators have emerged as key gamers within the Senate’s debate over same-sex marriage. They’re each engaged on amendments that may add non secular freedom protections to the Respect for Marriage Act, in accordance with a number of information experiences.
Sen. Mitt Romney’s workplace acknowledged his position within the negotiations to Axios earlier this week. The senator has repeatedly mentioned he desires to make sure that a federal legislation defending entry to same-sex marriage wouldn't hurt folks of religion.
Like Romney, Sen. Mike Lee is worried about non secular people and organizations. However his work on the Respect for Marriage Act is extra targeted on funding guidelines.
“Lee has been circulating an modification ... together with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to guard federal funding for non secular non-profits,” Axios reported.
Lee’s communications director, Lee Lonsberry, confirmed to KSL that the senator has been working to “tackle issues over non secular liberties.”
“Lee’s workplace did bought give specifics of precisely what these protections would possibly seem like. Even with safety, he could not help the invoice,” KSL reported.
The Respect for Marriage Act handed the U.S. Home of Representatives in July with bipartisan help, however its progress stalled within the Senate as Democratic officers labored to drum up help from at the least 10 Republicans, because the Deseret Information beforehand reported.
If handed in its present kind, the invoice would be sure that states couldn't refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages and that same-sex couples would have the identical federal protections as heterosexual couples even when the Supreme Court docket overturns its 2015 determination legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Many conservative organizations have criticized the same-sex marriage invoice, calling it both pointless, dangerous or each.
Simply this week, The Heritage Basis launched an announcement arguing that the Respect for Marriage Act would put a “large goal on the backs” of spiritual opponents of same-sex marriage.
“To be clear, there isn't a danger of any legally married same-sex couple dropping any of their advantages or authorized standing. The one purpose so as to add Congress’ specific blessing on such unions now's to cement it as nationwide coverage that can be utilized as a weapon by authorities companies, such because the IRS, to disclaim conventional non secular establishments tax-exempt standing, licenses to help in adoptions, and authorities funding and contracts,” mentioned Roger Severino, Heritage’s vice chairman for home coverage, within the assertion.
Severino additionally mentioned the non secular freedom modification that Romney is engaged on received’t go far sufficient. He urged policymakers to help Lee’s strategy as a substitute.
“If lawmakers are critical about non secular freedom, they need to reject the Baldwin-Collins-Romney modification out of hand and look to the Lee modification as a substitute,” he mentioned.
Democratic leaders introduced Thursday that they probably received’t vote on the Respect for Marriage Act till after the midterms in November, in accordance with The New York Instances.