The Alabama Senate voted to take away the state-issued marriage licenses. The move came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized same-sex marriage.
According to ABC NEWS, the Senators already approved the bill with a result of 23-3, sending it to the Alabama House of Representatives. It would also seek couples to file a form, provided by the state of Alabama, recording their marriage rather than county probate offices issue licenses.
THE EAGLE mentioned that a few of Alabama probate judges have halted issuing the marriage licenses altogether. This will allegedly steer clear the marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Senator Greg Albritton, R-Range also stated that with Alabama out of the marriage license business, this would end controversy about these marriage licenses. He also said that this change will ensure that individuals can still marry whomever they want.
State Senator Albritton and State Representative Jill Hill both filed the legislation on Thursday. This would replace the state-issued marriage licenses with marriage contract which would simply be sent to and recorded by the probate judge.
Albritton even told The New York Times that some probate judges in the state are "preparing to go to jail" such as the Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, if they are asked to issue same-sex marriage licenses. "Kentucky is a precursor to where we are headed," he added.
It was also reported that the judges in 13 out of 67 counties in Alabama already stopped issuing the marriage licenses, following the U.S. Supreme Court's Obergefell versus Hodges court decision. The probate judge would become unauthorized to make the resolution of the eligibility of the parties to the contract for the marriage, other than knowing the age.
Meanwhile, the bill already passed the state Senate's General Fund Budget Committee on Thursday during a special legislative session. The bill now moves to Alabama House of Representatives.
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