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Kansas City Today

What Congress' same-sex marriage bill means in Missouri and Kansas

By Brian Ellison,
Trevor Grandin, Byron J. Love
Published December 5, 2022 at 4:00 AM CST
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A bill that would enshrine recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage into law passed the U.S. Senate this week, with support from Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt. That's despite a last minute plea from Missouri's Secretary of State to vote against the legislation.

The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) will soon make its way to the House after approval by the U.S. Senate this week. The only senator from Kansas or Missouri to vote for the bill was Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt.

That's despite a last minute appeal from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who penned a letter citing five reasons for Blunt to vote against the bill. Among them was a constitutional amendment Missouri passed in 2004 defining marriage as "only between a man and a woman."

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with the Missouri Independent's Rudi Keller about the RFMA, its effect on Missouri and what might have motivated Ashcroft to send the letter.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Kansas City Today marriagesame-sex marriageRoy BluntU.S. SenateJay Ashcroft
Brian Ellison
As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
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Trevor Grandin
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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Byron J. Love
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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