A bill which would repeal Pennsylvania's same-sex marriage ban is a step closer to becoming law after the state House passed it Tuesday.

Proponents say the change was necessary to protect marriage equality if federal case law were overturned.

The bill would eliminate a clause in state law that requires marriage to be "between one man and one woman."

This Pennsylvania statute has already been superseded by the Supreme Court's 2015 decision that made same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional.

The measure now heads to the Republican-controlled state Senate.