The U. S. Senate voted 49-48 today to kill the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Seven Republicans joined 41 Democrats to invoke cloture, a motion (known to fans of The West Wing) to end debate on the proposal and not bring it to a full vote. (Eleven more votes would have been needed to move to a vote on the actual amendment.) The House says it is still planning a vote on the amendment next month. With the proposal killed in the Senate, however, this would be only for political posturing.
Supporters of the amendment say they want to keep introducing and voting on the amendment every year until it is passed. Momentum seems against them, however, with two senators voting against the amendment who had supported it in 2004.
It’s my birthday. Can’t think of a better present.
[...] . . . your three-year-old is is doing everything in his considerable power to delay naptime, and you think to yourself, “I have to invoke cloture.” by D | posted in Politics and Law, Ephemera [...]
[...] This week’s big story was, of course, the defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment. News didn’t stop happening elsewhere, though: [...]
[...] In a look ahead, the U. S. House is scheduled to vote next week on the Federal Marriage Amendment. The Senate voted a month ago not to proceed with a full vote on the amendment, effectively killing it. This means the House vote is purely for political posturing. Given the state-level setbacks this week, though, a defeat of the FMA in the House would send a strong message that marriage equality is still alive and kicking. You can write to your representatives through HRC’s special Web page. [...]
[...] A quick alert that the House vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment will be tomorrow. The Senate voted a month ago not to proceed with a full vote on the amendment, effectively killing it. This means the House vote is purely for political posturing. Given the recent state-level setbacks, though, a defeat of the FMA in the House would send a strong message that marriage equality is still alive and kicking. You can write to your representatives through HRC’s special Web page. by D | posted in Politics and Law [...]