Federal Benefits Equality Act

Bill: 113-hr-2834
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Holt, Rush [D-NJ-12]
Introduced: 2013-07-25
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Marriage and family status

Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Latest action: action_date: 2013-09-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-07-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Federal Benefits Equality Act - Declares that, in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress: (1) &quot;marriage&quot; includes a marriage, domestic partnership, civil union, or any other similar legal union between two individuals that is recognized by a state, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a federally recognized Indian tribe; and (2) &quot;spouse&quot; refers to either member of such a legal union. (Currently, &quot;marriage&quot; is defined only as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, while &quot;spouse&quot; refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.)</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2834 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 25, 2013 Mr. Holt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To include under Federal laws granting rights and responsibilities to married couples other couples in other legal unions similar to marriage, including domestic partnerships and civil unions.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Federal Benefits Equality Act . 2. Definition of marriage (a) In general Section 7 of title 1, United States Code, is amended to read as follows— 7. Marriage as including civil unions and domestic partnerships; spouse as including members of such unions In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, the term marriage includes a marriage, a domestic partnership, a civil union, or any other similar legal union between 2 individuals that is recognized by a State, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a federally recognized Indian tribe, and the word spouse refers to either member of such a legal union. . (b) Clerical amendment The item for section 7 in the table of sections at the beginning of chapter 1 is amended to read as follows: 7. Marriage as including civil unions and domestic parnerships; spouse as including members of such legal unions. .