The Hill News

Democrats in both chambers of Congress introduced legislation on Wednesday that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a bane to liberals and pro-gay rights activists. 

The legislation, titled the Respect for Marriage Act, was reintroduced in the House and introduced in the Senate for the first time. 

{mosads}Should the bill be signed into law, it would repeal a section of DOMA defining marriage at the federal level as between a man and a woman, allowing same-sex couples to be eligible for federal benefits. The bill would not force states to recognize same-sex marriages.

Democratic lawmakers decided to move on the bill after the Obama administration said it would refuse to defend DOMA in court, questioning the law's constitutionality. A legal panel in the GOP-controlled House later voted to defend the law for the U.S. government.

The chances of the legislation passing the House are slim, and it is unclear how the Senate wo! uld handle the bill. President Obama has not said whether he would sign the measure.

Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.) are sponsoring the bill as are four gay and lesbian members of Congress: Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are the lead sponsors in the Senate.