WASHINGTON -- D.C. could be the next battleground over gay marriage.
A preliminary vote by the city council to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere puts the issue on a path to Congress, which has final say over D.C.'s laws.
After the legislation receives final approval from the council, which is supposed to come next month, the bill is then subject to a 30-day congressional review.
That review could be the new Congress' first opportunity to signal its appetite for re-examining the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to do the same.
It remains to be seen whether a Democrat-controlled Congress will have any interest in repealing the city's efforts, opponents said.
A spokesman for a House subcommittee that oversees the city's affairs said the subcommittee was not commenting on the gay marriage measure.
