Billy Long votes against same-sex marriage protections; Vicky Hartzler does not vote

Springfield's congressman voted against enshrining protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law on Tuesday.

The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies same-sex and interracial marriages amid concerns that an active conservative Supreme Court could revisit the 2015 ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. The bill earned the support of all Democrats and 47 Republicans; 157 Republicans voted against the measure.

Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long, who is also running for U.S. Senate, was among the 'no' votes. Long's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning.

Four of Missouri's six Republican members voted against the bill; U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, who represents suburban St. Louis, voted in favor.

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who is also running for Senate and has been among the most vocal opponents of same-sex marriage and protections for LGBTQ+ people throughout her time in Congress, did not vote. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning.

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Long criticized Hartzler's lack of vote on Wednesday, writing on Twitter that "she couldn't even find a proxy" member to cast a vote on her behalf.

"Rough & tough candidate (Vicky Hartzler) says she's a 'fighter' but she didn't have enough fight in her or courage to vote yea or nay," Long tweeted. "The courage of a #TransRINO." (RINO stands for "Republican in Name Only.")

The bill also repeals the In Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that specified marriage as between one man and one woman. It was passed with bipartisan support in Congress before being struck down by the Supreme Court.

In floor debate leading up to the vote, House Democrats described the moment as urgent for codifying protections in light of Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion in the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion.

"We cannot allow the far-right extremist Supreme Court to strip away another fundamental right," U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri said after the vote.

Thomas' opinion, which was not signed on by other justices, said that the court should "reconsider all of this court's substantive due process precedents," including 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges and cases legalizing contraception and sex between same-sex couples. The majority conservative opinion in the case by Justice Samuel Alito says that "nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion."

The Democrat-controlled chamber also passed on Thursday a similar bill aiming to enshrine the right to access contraception in federal law. It received a party-line vote, with Missouri's two Democrats voting in favor and six Republicans voting against.

House Republican leaders did not put pressure on members to vote against the marriage bill, wary of political fallout, the Associated Press reported. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise voted "no."

Both bills will now go to the Senate, where they face an uncertain future. Due to the rules of the filibuster, they require 60 votes to pass, meaning 10 Republican votes are required.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: How Missouri's Long, Hartzler voted on same-sex marriage protections