Groups call on Sen. Klobuchar to cosponsor Defense of Marriage Act repeal
On Tuesday, two groups called on Sen. Amy Klobuchar to sign on as a cosponsor of a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) noting that she is the only Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee who has not taken that step
Jul 31, 20201.8K Shares463.7K Views
On Tuesday, two groups called on Sen. Amy Klobuchar to sign on as a cosponsor of a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) noting that she is the only Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee who has not taken that step. Klobuchar has indicated her support for the bill in the past, after some pressure, but OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy group, and Freedom to Marry, a national group working toward marriage equality, urged her to sign her name to the bill.
“[O]ur US Senator Amy Klobuchar is the only Democrat on the committee who has not signed on as a co-sponsor. The majority of Minnesotans support the freedom to marry. And now it’s time for Senator Klobuchar to take our voices to Washington and call for an end to marriage discrimination,” OutFront Minnesota wrote in a message to members on Tuesday. “She needs to hear from you now. Will you urge Senator Klobuchar to co-sponsor this crucial legislation?”
Minnesota’s Sen. Al Franken was an early sponsor of the bill, the Respect for Marriage Act, which will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning. Backed by President Barack Obama, it would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, passed by Congress in 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
The House version of the bill is sponsored by Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum.
Klobuchar faced pressure in March to state whether or not she would vote for the bill. Her office indicated she wouldafter earlier stating she would not take a position on the bill.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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