Respect for Marriage Act of 2011

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IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 112th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

D FeinsteinSponsor

32 cosponsors · 31 D, 1 I

18 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

Respect for Marriage Act of 2011 - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage.

What it does: CRS summary · Reported to Senate without amendment · Nov 10, 2011

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Respect for Marriage Act of 2011

Latest action (Nov 10, 2011): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 228.

Policy area: Law · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Mar 16, 2011

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.