Dianne Feinstein, Jerrold Nadler re-introduce DOMA repeal

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act Wednesday that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, even though the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the 1996 law known as DOMA.

We said things wouldn’t be over and they aren’t.

Section 3 denies all of 1,138 federal benefits (GAO) to same-sex married couples. Section 2 permits states to deny same-sex marriages from other states and remains standing, despite the court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor. That means a couple married say in New York who retires to Florida or any of the 37 states that ban same-sex marriage would not have their marriage recognized under that state’s law.

Feinstein was one of just 14 Senators who voted against DOMA in 1996, along with colleague Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.. She said repeal is still needed “because inequities in the administration of more than 1,100 federal laws affected by DOMA—including social security and veterans benefits—will still need to be fixed.”

Nadler said full repeal is still needed to “repeal DOMA in its entirety and send DOMA into the history books where it belongs. This bill ensures repeal of section 2 of DOMA, which was not at issue in the Windsor case and purports to excuse the states from even considering whether to honor the marriage of a gay and lesbian couple performed by a sister state. The bill also provides a uniform rule for recognizing couples under federal law, ensuring that all lawfully married couples will be recognized under federal law, no matter where they live.”

Feinstein’s full remarks are here.

The repeal bill has 161 original cosponsors in the House and 41 original cosponsorsin the Senate. They are Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Robert Casey (D-Penn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), William “Mo” Cowan (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Carolyn Lochhead