Today, Representative Randy Weber (TX-14) introduced important legislation which clarifies that the Federal Government’s implementation of current law in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor. The ‘State Marriage Defense Act’ will simply require federal agencies to look to a person’s legal residence when determining marital status and application of federal law. Representative Weber made the following statement below:

“The 10^th Amendment was established to protect state sovereignty and individual rights from being seized by the Federal Government. For too long, however, the Federal Government has slowly been eroding state’s rights by promulgating rules and regulations through federal agencies.

I drafted the “State Marriage Defense Act of 2014” to help restore the 10^th Amendment, affirm the authority of states to define and regulate marriage, as well as, provide clarity to federal agencies seeking to determine who qualifies as a spouse for the purpose of federal law. By requiring that the Federal Government defer to the laws of a person’s state of legal residence in determining marital status, we can protect states’ constitutionally established powers from the arbitrary overreach of unelected bureaucrats.”

Representative Weber’s legislation was introduced with 28 co-sponsors and is supported by Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, US Conference on Catholic Bishops, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action.

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