Alabama House Committee Approves Bill to Abolish Marriage Licenses in State

A House committee in Alabama has approved a bill that would abolish the use of marriage licenses in the state and remove solemnization requirements, a move that some believe will remove Alabama from the argument over same-sex nuptials. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Bay Minette, introduced S.B. 143 in February,

which states that one of its purposes is to “abolish the requirement that a marriage license be issued by the judge of probate and replace existing state statutory marriage law with a statutory contract for marriage.” “All requirements to obtain a marriage license by the State of Alabama are hereby abolished and repealed. The requirement of a ceremony of marriage to solemnized the marriage is abolished,” it reads in part. FULL REPORT