Most Nevada lawmakers cheer marriage law

Most of Nevada’s representatives cheered the Respect for Marriage Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Nevada’s congressional delegation — made up of five Democrats and one Republican — voted along party lines in favor of the bill, with only Republican Rep. Mark Amodei voting against it.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. was at the White House Tuesday to celebrate the bill becoming law.

“I’m so proud to celebrate this historic milestone in the fight for equality,” Cortez Masto said on Twitter.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said in a statement, “At a time when violence and hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are on the rise, we must protect marriage equality and every American’s right to marry who they love.”

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said in a statement that the Respect for Marriage Act is a “historic step forward in fighting back against the cruel assault on our freedoms – sending a clear signal that hate and bigotry have no place in America.”

And Rep. Dina Titus, who also voted for the bill, congratulated the Senate for passing it in a tweet last month: “I believe in safeguarding marriage equality nationwide. I’m glad my colleagues in the Senate took up this vital bill that protects those in same-sex and interracial marriages.”

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., the state’s only Republican on the federal delegation, voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, arguing that the legislation was unnecessary in the first place. In the 2020 election, Nevada was the first state to enshrine marriage equality in its constitution through a referendum process.

“The net effect is that in Nevada and 35 other states, you can marry whoever you want. I support and respect the use of that process and the will of Nevada voters on the issue of same-sex marriage,” Amodei said in the statement.

He also argued that under the “Full Faith and Credit Clause” in the U.S. Constitution, same-sex marriages valid in the 36 states where it is legal, are “valid everywhere in the country,” similar to how a Nevada driver’s license is good in Florida.

“The states have always set forth their rules in relation to marriage. It is their absolute right to do so. They are doing fine,” Amodei said. “I will not support an unwarranted and unnecessary federal power grab, especially under the political guise of protecting a group of Americans who currently enjoy the full constitutional protections of the Nevada and United States Constitutions.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.