by Lena Torres | Staff Writer | A bill that will provide marriage rights to same sex unions has passed through a key Senate committee. The Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) has passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee. The RMA is designed to restore the rights of same sex couples and unlawfully married couples so that they can receive the benefits of marriage under federal law. The RMA repeals the U.S. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which has not been challenged in over 15 years. “DOMA was wrong when it passed in 1996 and it is wrong now,” said Sen. Diane Feinstein in a press release. Currently same sex couples are denied over 1,100 federal rights and protections that other married … [Read more...] about Same Sex couples benefit from Respect for Marriage Act