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Senate Judiciary Committee will hold DOMA repeal hearing



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Big news from the Senate. First ever hearing on DOMA repeal will be held "in the next few weeks." From Chris Johnson:

A Senate committee is set in the next few weeks to hear testimony on repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, although details about the planned hearing were scant as of Thursday.

According to a Senate Democratic aide, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, intends to hold a hearing on DOMA repeal "in the next few weeks." A more definitive date for when the hearing would take place or the individuals who would be invited as witnesses weren't immediate known.

In a statement, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) praised Leahy for his decision to hold a hearing on DOMA repeal. Both Gillibrand and Leahy are sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA.
The Senate repeal bill is S. 598, sponsored by Senator Feinstein with 25 cosponsors.

The House repeal bill, H.R. 1116, is sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler and has 115 cosponsors.

As of now, there are no GOP cosponsors on either the Senate or House bills.

It's important to maintain legislative momentum for DOMA repeal in Congress. The Senate hearing is a good step forward, but pretty sure Leahy's House counterpart, Lamar Smith, won't be holding a similar hearing before his committee. And, of course, House GOP leadership is using our tax dollars to defend DOMA in the courts. But, that doesn't mean we should keep adding cosponsors. That matters, too.

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