Zoe Richards

A bipartisan group of senators released an updated version of a bill Monday to codify federal protections for same-sex marriages that they say they feel confident can get enough Republican support to pass in the Senate.

The leader of the effort, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., fellow Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina were working on an amendment to the bill to entice more Republican votes to overcome a filibuster. 

The senators said in a statement Monday that they are “confident that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our commonsense legislation into law.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promised Monday to hold a vote this week on the bill, which the group said has the 10 GOP votes needed to pass, during the lame-duck session after the midterm elections and before the start of the new Congress in January. 

Democrats aim to pass the bill before next year, when Republicans are favored to be back in control of the House.

A vote was delayed before the midterms to give senators more time to review the five-page amendment after some Republicans suggested the vote tally would be higher after Election Day. 

A version of the legislation cleared the House in July, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in voting yes.