H.R. 4602: Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023

118th Congress · introduced 2023-07-13 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-07-13 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023

Plain summary

Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Social Security Act (SSA), and other federal laws to replace (1) references to wife or husband with references to spouse , and (2) references to husband and wife or husband or wife with references to married couple or married person. For purposes of federal laws or regulations, marriage is defined as a legal union between two people as spouses. The bill eliminates a definition of spouse that refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. Requirements concerning compensation to a surviving wife after the disability or death of a person employed at a military, air, or naval base outside the United States are revised to make surviving spouses eligible for such compensation. The bill makes similar revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and other federal statutes. The bill revises title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the SSA to consolidate separate provisions for a wife's insurance benefits and a husband's insurance benefits into a single standard for a spouse's insurance benefits.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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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: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · 16 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mark Takano (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Hillary J. Scholten (D-MI), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Daniel S. Goldman (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jahana Hayes (D-CT)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] reported raising $580,025 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (4)

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).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-118hr4602.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr4602 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118