The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Senate by a 61-36 vote

Senate votes on federal same-sex marriage law — with 11 Republicans joining all Democrats to send a bill to House.

The amended bill in the Senate will now return to the House of Representatives, which is expected to pass quickly and head to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.

Biden praised the bill's bipartisanship and invited all 11 senators who voted for it to the White House for a potential future signing ceremony.

Three Republican-led amendments to the bill failed before a final vote

The House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July

The US Senate voted Tuesday to enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.

The Respect for Marriage Act passed by a vote of 61 to 36. Eleven Republicans voted with the Democrats on the measure.

Now it's back to the House of Representatives, where the Democratic-controlled chamber will likely pass fast enough to head to President Joe Biden's desk before the current congressional term ends.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who helped lead the bill, appeared emotional on the chamber floor before the final vote.

Other Democrats donned shades to celebrate the landmark legislation, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer donning the same tie he wore to his daughter's same-sex wedding and Senator Kirsten Sinema coordinating her outfit to represent the colors of the intersex pride flag.

The Senate has just passed the Respect for Marriage Act! "This is a major victory in the fight to protect marriage equality," Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congress Progressive Caucus, said in a statement after Tuesday's vote.

"There is no time to lose. The House must act quickly to get it to the president's desk."

The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Senate by a 61-36 vote on Tuesday night.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated the historic vote by wearing the purple tie he wore during his daughter's same-sex wedding.

The president hailed the act's passage through the Senate, praising the "bipartisan achievement" while personally naming all 11 Republicans who voted for it.

"With today's Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the United States is about to reaffirm a basic truth: Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love," Biden said in a statement sent. Outside the White House.

Eleven Republican senators voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act

Roy Plant (Missouri)

Richard Burr (North Carolina)

Shelly Moore Capito (West Virginia)

Suzanne Collins (Maine)

Joni Ernst (Iowa)

Cynthia Loomis (Wyoming)

Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

Rob Portman (Ohio)

Mitt Romney (Utah)

Dan Sullivan (Alaska)

Thom Tellis (North Carolina)

Todd Young (Indiana)

"Most importantly, the Senate's passage of the Respect for Marriage Act is bipartisan. I am grateful to the determined members of Congress — especially Senators Baldwin, Collins, Portman, Sinema, Telles, and Feinstein — whose leadership has ensured that Republicans and Democrats support the fundamental rights of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples In marriage.

He finished, "I look forward to welcoming them to the White House after the House of Representatives passes this legislation and sends it to my desk, where I will promptly and proudly sign it into law."

On Monday, 61 senators voted to advance the bill in a procedural maneuver, while 35 opposed it.

The House of Representatives first passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July by a vote of 267 to 157.

The bill does not compel states to perform same-sex marriages but does require that all 50 states recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in any other state.

Republicans have criticized the bill as weak in protecting religious institutions.

GOP Senators Marco Rubio, James Lankford, and Mike Lee introduced amendments to the bill to protect "religious freedom" in the bill.

Lee's bill, which he calls a "simple and logical amendment," aims to prevent "the federal government from retaliating against any person or group for their commitment to sincere religious beliefs and moral convictions about marriage," the Utah senator wrote on Fox. Editorial news.

It fell short of the 60 votes attached to the final bill, with 48 senators in favor of it and 49 against it.