Washington DC - The House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation that aims to codify the federal protections for same-sex couples that were established by the Supreme Court in 2015.

Tuesday's vote saw 47 Republicans join Democrats in support of the bill, which was introduced in the wake of SCOTUS' reversal of Roe v. Wade amid growing fear that the highest court will come for same-sex marriage next.

The legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler and called the Respect for Marriage Act, passed the House in a 267-157 vote.

The bill itself would codify the federal protections for same-sex marriage that were put in place by SCOTUS' ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which established same-sex marriage as a right under the 14th Amendment.

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Should the bill get signed into law, it would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which defined "marriage" as the union between a man and a woman. Though the law was struck down by SCOTUS' 2015 decision, it still remains in the books.

Ahead of the House vote, Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is one of nine openly gay members of the body, said, "For me, this is personal." He continued, "Imagine telling the next generation of Americans, my generation, that we no longer have the right to marry who we love. Congress can't allow that to happen."

The bipartisan bill will now head to the evenly divided Senate for a vote.