Congress Must Reject The So-Called ‘Respect For Marriage’ Act
The Livingston County Conservative Party urges Congressman Chris Jacobs to oppose H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act.
The Respect for Marriage Act is unacceptable for many reasons.
First, the RMA would require the federal government to recognize any marriage that is legally valid in the state where the spouses were married. If a state were to make it legal for one person to enter into multiple marriages, the RMA would require the federal government to recognize those multiple marriages.
Second, the RMA opens the door for religious charities to be sued by the U.S. Attorney General or by activist groups if they are unwilling to place children with same-sex couples or offer marriage benefits to employees with same-sex partners.
Third, the RMA could eventually lead the IRS or other federal agencies to strip tax-exempt status from religious charities that do not affirm same-sex partnerships.
Jason J. McGuire, chairman of the Livingston County Conservative Party, said, “Many members of Congress report that they did not realize the significant religious liberty concerns raised by this legislation prior to an earlier vote. However, this time around there can be no excuse. The U.S. Senate has refused to address these problematic issues with any credible amendments. H.R. 8404 should be rejected. We hope that Rep. Chris Jacobs will do so when the vote returns to the House.”