S. 2980: A bill to protect the democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage.
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S. 2980: A bill to protect the democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage.
111th Congress · introduced 2010-02-02 · Families · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2010-02-02 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Bennett, Robert F. [R-UT] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
A bill to protect the democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage.
Plain summary
Prohibits the government of the District of Columbia from issuing a marriage license to any couple of the same sex until the people of the District have the opportunity to hold a referendum or initiative on the question of whether the District should issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
A bill to protect the democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage.
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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The strongest published arguments
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Bennett, Robert F. [R-UT] · 8 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (3)
- Ballot initiative
- A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Referendum
- A vote by the public on a law or measure. Texas statewide propositions are how voters decide on constitutional amendments.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s2980.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>
Record fed-us-cong111-s2980 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111