Iowans are encouraged to contact Sen. Joni Ernst at (202) 224-3254 and Sen. Chuck Grassley at (202) 224-3744.
Word coming out of Washington D.C. indicates Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer may move to vote for cloture on the “(Dis)Respect for Marriage Act” as soon as today with a floor vote potentially coming tomorrow or Wednesday.
Family advocacy groups are sounding the alarm on the move.
The bill is designed to enshrine homosexual marriage into federal law. It breezed through the House without any public hearings and received support from Representatives Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Zach Nunn, who beat Rep. Cindy Axne last week, also voiced support for the bill.
Alliance Defending Freedom Legal, however, is warning that the bill does much more than its supporters want Americans to believe.
The bill will:
*further embed a false definition of marriage in the American legal fabric;
*open the door to federal recognition of polygamous relationships;
*jeopardize the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that exercise their belief marriage is the union of one man and one woman;
*endanger faith-based social-service organizations by threatening litigation and liability risk if they follow their views on marriage when working with the government.
“The truth is the Respect for Marriage Act does nothing to change the status of same-sex marriage or the benefits afforded to same-sex couples following Obergefell. It does much, however, to endanger religious freedom,” ADF Legal wrote.
More than 80 groups sent Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a letter urging him to stand against pressure to move the bill forward. More than 2,000 churches and ministries sent a letter to the Senate specifically shining a light on the effects of the bill to serve their communities in accordance with their beliefs.
ADF Legal is warning that a proposed amendment offered by Senators Tammy Baldwin and Susan Collins does not adequately address the bill’s “significant religious freedom issues.”
The amendment, according to ADF Legal, does not contain any real protections for religious individuals or organizations. It leaves numerous religious social-service organizations vulnerable and it fails to address concerns over nonprofits’ tax-exempt status.
A cloture vote requires 60 votes in the U.S. Senate and will allow the bill to be considered on the floor where it needs just 51 votes to pass. Watch for some Republican senators to potentially vote for cloture but against the bill and realize their vote for cloture was, indeed, a vote for the bill.
Iowans are encouraged to contact Sen. Joni Ernst at (202) 224-3254 and Sen. Chuck Grassley at (202) 224-3744.
