Marriage license; authorization to designate marriage officiant. (SB145)
Introduced By
Progress
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Introduced |
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Passed Committee |
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Passed House |
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Passed Senate |
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Signed by Governor |
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Became Law |
Description
Marriage license; authorization for marriage officiant. Allows the parties to a marriage to designate an officiant, who shall be 18 years of age or older and not a party to the marriage, on their application for a marriage license. The bill provides that a license issued with such designation shall serve as authorization for the named officiant to celebrate the rites of such marriage in the Commonwealth. Under current law, ministers and other persons except for judges need a judicial order authorizing them to act as marriage officiants. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 12/29/2015 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16102850D |
| 12/29/2015 | Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice |
| 02/03/2016 | Passed by indefinitely in Courts of Justice (13-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
Comments
The ACLU is monitoring this legislation. It is time to rewrite the provisions of the Virginia Code that govern state solemnization of civil marriages to remove unconstitutional distinctions among and between officiants from some faith organizations and others and between religious officiants and non-religious officiants.