Federal Benefits Equality Act

Federal Benefits Equality Act - Declares that, in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress: (1) "marriage" includes a marriage, domestic partnership, civil union, or any other similar legal union between two individuals that is recognized by a state, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a federally recognized Indian tribe; and (2) "spouse" refers to either member of such a legal union. (Currently, "marriage" is defined only as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, while "spouse" refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.)

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2834 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2834

 To include under Federal laws granting rights and responsibilities to 
    married couples other couples in other legal unions similar to 
      marriage, including domestic partnerships and civil unions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2013

   Mr. Holt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To include under Federal laws granting rights and responsibilities to 
    married couples other couples in other legal unions similar to 
      marriage, including domestic partnerships and civil unions.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Benefits Equality Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.

    (a) In General.--Section 7 of title 1, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows--
``Sec. 7. `Marriage' as including civil unions and domestic 
              partnerships; `spouse' as including members of such 
              unions
    ``In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, the term 
`marriage' includes a marriage, a domestic partnership, a civil union, 
or any other similar legal union between 2 individuals that is 
recognized by a State, the District of Columbia, a territory or 
possession of the United States, or a federally recognized Indian 
tribe, and the word `spouse' refers to either member of such a legal 
union.'' .
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The item for section 7 in the table of 
sections at the beginning of chapter 1 is amended to read as follows:

``7. `Marriage' as including civil unions and domestic parnerships; 
                            `spouse' as including members of such legal 
                            unions.''.
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