[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6848-S6849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, on behalf of Vermonters, today I was 
proud to vote for the final passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. 
Today, we became a slightly more perfect union by recognizing the 
sanctity of marriage between two individuals, regardless of gender or 
race.
  In August of this year, Marcelle and I celebrated our 60th wedding 
anniversary. Marrying each other was the most important decision of our 
lives--not a decision taken lightly, but a deeply personal commitment. 
A decision such as who to spend your life with should not be determined 
by a State, local, or Federal government. It is regrettable that 
throughout our history, too many Americans have been denied the right 
to marry who they love based on their gender or race.
  In 2012, I was proud to cosponsor an earlier version of the Respect 
for Marriage Act to codify the right for all Americans to marry who 
they love. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I also convened the 
first ever hearing to examine the harmful consequences the Defense of 
Marriage Act had, and still has, on American families.
  I am a proud cosponsor of this version of the Respect for Marriage 
Act. This bill--as most bills are--is far from perfect, but is a 
product of a bipartisan compromise. I want to acknowledge my friend 
from Wisconsin, Senator Baldwin, whose steadfast resolve is the reason 
why this bill passed the Senate today. In the face of Supreme Court 
Justices determined to turn back the clock on basic rights, a group of 
bipartisan Senators remained committed to the principle that all 
legally valid marriages between two people who love and care for each 
other deserve equal treatment under the law everywhere in our country.
  My home State of Vermont is no stranger to making history. Vermont 
has been a pioneer in the movement for LGBTQ rights. In 2000, Vermont 
became the first State to introduce civil unions and the first to offer 
a civil union status encompassing the same legal rights and 
responsibilities as marriage. The State again made history in 2009 when 
it was the first State to allow same-sex marriage without being 
required to do so through a court

[[Page S6849]]

decision. Just last year, I was so proud when former Vermont Supreme 
Court Justice Beth Robinson became the first openly gay woman to ascend 
to our Federal circuit courts, on the Second Circuit.
  Over the years, I have heard from Vermonters, colleagues, my staff, 
friends, and family on this issue. They have told me what I already 
know from my marriage to Marcelle. The right to marriage--the right to 
love someone and build a life with them--should be equally available to 
all Americans.
  As I have said before, when common ground is fertile, we must plant 
the seeds of progress. And I believe that the Senate did that today by 
passing the Respect for Marriage Act.

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