FMA Fails in House

Today, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment failed to receive the 2/3 vote required for passage. The proposed amendment states:

Marriage in the United States shall consist solely of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.'

The final vote was 227 yeas to 186 nays. 191 Republicans and 36 Democrats voted in favor. 27 Republicans joined 158 Democrats and 1 independent in opposition. All of Alabama's representatives, including Democrats Bud Cramer and Artur Davis, voted in favor.