AMODEI STATEMENT ON VOTE AGAINST FINAL PASSAGE OF RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT
Statement
U.S. Representative Mark Amodei (NV-02) today issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act:
"The law as it sits prior to H.R. 8404, was this: In the 2020 election, Nevada voters used the referendum process to place same sex marriage protections in the Nevada Constitution. 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.
"It is also a fact that as a result of the "Full Faith and Credit Clause" in the U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, that marriages that are valid in the present 36 states, are valid everywhere in the country. Just like your Nevada driver's license is good in Florida, so is your Nevada marriage license. Accordingly, the need for federal legislation on what has traditionally been state jurisdiction, in this instance -- marriage laws -- continues to be unapparent. I know that there are people who think that a statement made by Justice Clarence Thomas is a nightmare in the making, but I simply disagree that one Supreme Court Justice's sidebar creates a clear and present danger to freedom and justice in America.
"It is absolutely the case that before voting on anything, my colleagues and I should take a 360-degree view of, and assess, the need for federal involvement. Central to that assessment is the question, is this a needed federal action? The language of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is relevant here: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'
"The states have always set forth their rules in relation to marriage. It is their absolute right to do so. They are doing fine. 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."
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