WASHINGTON – Just hours into the 114th Congress on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined his colleagues in re-introducing a pair of measures to protect equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Senator Coons was a cosponsor of both bills in the previous Congress.
The Respect for Marriage Act would fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and create a uniform legal standard that guarantees legally married same-sex couples access to federal benefits, regardless of where they reside. This clarification is critical for veterans, and the proper administration of state-federal benefits such as Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and food stamps. The Respect for Marriage Act does not legalize same-sex marriage beyond the 36 states in which it is already legal. Rather, it respects the right of states to set their own marriage laws but ends federal discrimination against same-sex couples legally married in states in which it is permitted. The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced on Tuesday by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) with 41 cosponsors, including Senator Coons.
“Everyone should have the right to marry the person they love,” Senator Coons said. “Seventy percent of Americans live in states where same-sex couples can legally marry, but federal law is still inconsistent and discriminatory against those couples. Congress should pass the Respect for Marriage Act to finish the job the Supreme Court started in 2013. Marriage equality should be the law of the land.”
The Copyright and Marriage Equality Act would close a loophole in the Copyright Act that discriminates among lawfully married couples. A provision in the Copyright Act grants rights to the surviving spouse of a copyright owner only if the marriage is recognized in the owner’s state of residence at the time he or she dies. This means that a writer who lawfully marries his or her same-sex partner in Delaware is not a “spouse” under the Copyright Act if they move to Georgia, Tennessee, or one of the other states that do not currently recognize their lawful marriage. The Copyright and Marriage Equality Act amends the Copyright Act to consider simply whether a couple is lawfully married — not where a married couple happens to live when the copyright owner dies. The Copyright and Marriage Equality Act was introduced on Tuesday by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) with four cosponsors, including Senator Coons.
“This is one of a number of narrow equality measures that would make our laws more consistent and more fair,” Senator Coons said. “It’s a common-sense fix that would help protect the families of artists and bring our nation’s laws more in line with our nation’s values.”