The Senate is expected to vote this week on a bill to codify same-sex marriage, HuffPost reports.
Democrats pushed to take up the bill over the summer after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court’s ruling effectively legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide should be revisited.
Some Republicans balked, prompting Democrats to push the vote until after the midterms.
Now, “we have the votes,” a source close to the negotiations told HuffPost.
A bipartisan group has been working on the bill since the House passed its own version in July.
Some Republicans may be more open to the legislation now that it’s apparent that Democrats will hold control of the chamber for the next two years.
Quick vote:
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill “later this week,” a source told HuffPost.
The Senate is expected to amend the House bill rather than create a new bill, meaning the House only has to vote to approve changes and does not have to start the process all over.
All 50 Democrats are expected to vote on the bill but it remains to be seen whether Democrats can win over 10 Republicans to defeat a filibuster.
GOP votes unclear:
Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Rob Portman and Thom Tillis are expected to support the bill since they are part of the bipartisan group negotiating the language.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is also likely to back the legislation.
“Through bipartisan collaboration, we’ve crafted commonsense language to confirm that this legislation fully respects and protects Americans’ religious liberties and diverse beliefs, while leaving intact the core mission of the legislation to protect marriage equality,” the bipartisan group said in a joint statement. “We look forward to this legislation coming to the floor and are confident that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our commonsense legislation into law.”
