[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 147-148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                           MARRIAGE EQUALITY

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Florida became the 36th State to 
legalize marriage equality. Now more than 70 percent of Americans live 
in a State where sexual orientation does not dictate who can be 
married.

[[Page 148]]

  Our Nation was founded on basic principles of freedom and equality, 
and no law should discriminate against individuals on the basis of who 
they are. We have come a long way since 2004 when Massachusetts became 
a pioneering State in the fight for marriage equality. But the fight is 
not over.
  I am a proud to be an original cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage 
Act, reintroduced in the House yesterday. This legislation will allow 
same-sex couples to receive equal and fair treatment under Federal law 
regardless of their State's marriage laws.
  As we begin the 114th Congress, I look forward to working with my 
colleagues in the House to make sure that we have laws in place to end 
discrimination toward individuals, regardless of their gender, race, 
religious background, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

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