Bill to Protect Same-Sex Marriage Rights Clears Congress The House gave final approval to the measure, with lawmakers from both parties voting in favor.WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday gave final approval to legislation to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages, with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers voting in favor of the measure in the waning days of the Democratic-led Congress.In a statement, Mr. Biden called the action by Congress “a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love.” The measure’s success reflected a broader cultural and political shift on the issue of same-sex marriage, which only a decade ago was regarded by members of both parties as divisive and risky terrain.In an emotional speech that brought her to the brink of tears, Representative Vicky Hartzler, Republican of Missouri, dismissed the religious freedom provisions as “hollow,” and pleaded with her colleagues to join her in opposing what she called a “misguided” and “dangerous” bill.The unexpectedly high number of House Republicans supporting the bill in July — nearly a quarter of them — propelled her bid to cut a bipartisan deal in the Senate, but she urged Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, to wait until after the elections to bring it to a vote."