House Dems, and some GOPers, vote to codify same-sex marriage and gas prices are dropping

Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil joins House Democrats in vote to codify same-sex marriage

• Wisconsin Republican Congressman Bryan Steil joined his Democratic colleagues Tuesday evening in voting to codify same-sex marriage into law — breaking away from the rest of the state's GOP members. The measure, called the Respect for Marriage Act, passed the House on a vote of 267-157. Forty-seven Republicans voted in favor of the legislation. Wisconsin GOP U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman, Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald opposed the bill. Democrats unanimously supported the measure.

• The legislation was introduced in response to worries the U.S. Supreme Court could go beyond its reversal last month of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights. Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurring opinion wrote the court should "reconsider" its previous due process precedents, citing the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which gave same-sex couples the right to marry.

• The measure's fate in the Senate is not yet clear. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel another version of the Respect for Marriage Act will be introduced in the Senate. "I believe we need to take seriously the threat in Justice Thomas' concurring opinion in Dobbs," Baldwin said outside the Senate chambers. "And take seriously those among our colleagues who have criticized the Obergefell decision... I believe we will have Republican support."

Some stations selling gas for under $4 a gallon in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties

• Gas prices have fallen below $4 a gallon at some stations in the Milwaukee metro area and across Wisconsin, offering a small bit of relief to consumers who are facing soaring prices for everything, especially energy and food.

• Still, average prices are more than $1 a gallon higher than they were a year ago. The average price for a gallon of regular in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area on Tuesday was $4.34, according to national travel organization AAA, which tracks prices via its daily fuel gauge report.

• Prices in Washington and Ozaukee counties were slightly higher, according to gasbuddy.com. Prices at gas stations that have higher sales volumes tend to drop faster when oil prices fall because they have already sold the higher priced gasoline they previously purchased to fill their underground tanks and replenished it with lower-cost fuel.

As the toll from illegal strip searches mounts, a jury hands down a $386,000 verdict against Milwaukee in a police civil rights case

• In the latest case involving the conduct of a former Milwaukee police officer that has led to millions of dollars in legal settlements, a jury has issued a $386,000 award against the City of Milwaukee after finding the officer violated another man's civil rights.

• The eight-person jury found that only two of the four officers named as defendants — former Milwaukee police officer Michael Vagnini and current officer Michael Valuch Jr. — violated Jerpaul D. Spencer's constitutional rights in interactions with him in 2011.

• Vagnini served prison time due to his illegal strip and body cavity searches, and the city has paid more than $6 million in settlements and costs. The case on which the jury decided late Friday was one of more than 30 lawsuits that had been filed against Vagnini

Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

The Money

EAST SIDE: Pabst Theater Group has bought an east side mansion built by a Great Lakes captain in 1874 for a new wedding venue.

The Fun Stuff

EAA: With 'Top Gun: Maverick' audiences fascinated by flight movies again, it's perfect timing for EAA's AirVenture in Oshkosh.

The Games

NASCAR: After a two-year Fourth of July weekend pairing invigorated drivers and drew massive crowds to Road America, NASCAR won’t bring the Cup Series back to Wisconsin next season. The rural Sheboygan County road course will be replaced by a temporary street circuit in downtown Chicago.

PACKERS: Uncertainty regarding Robert Tonyan's return is creating turmoil at tight end for the Packers.

BREWERS: Milwaukee swings for the fences on Day 3 of draft, including taking switch-throwing phenom.

Today's Weather

Not quite as hotwith a high of 85.

Not yet a Journal Sentinel subscriber? Please consider signing up at jsonline.com/deal.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: House Dems, and some GOPers, vote to codify same-sex marriage