Bill Text: TX SB1600 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to authorizing the county clerk in certain counties to conduct a marriage ceremony and collect a related fee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-23 - Left pending in committee [SB1600 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB1600-Introduced.html
83R12967 KSD-F | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 1600 |
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relating to authorizing the county clerk in certain counties to | ||
conduct a marriage ceremony and collect a related fee. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 2.202(a), Family Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) The following persons are authorized to conduct a | ||
marriage ceremony: | ||
(1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or | ||
priest; | ||
(2) a Jewish rabbi; | ||
(3) a person who is an officer of a religious | ||
organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a | ||
marriage ceremony; [ |
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(4) a justice of the supreme court, judge of the court | ||
of criminal appeals, justice of the courts of appeals, judge of the | ||
district, county, and probate courts, judge of the county courts at | ||
law, judge of the courts of domestic relations, judge of the | ||
juvenile courts, retired justice or judge of those courts, justice | ||
of the peace, retired justice of the peace, judge of a municipal | ||
court, or judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state; and | ||
(5) in a county with a population of at least 1.7 | ||
million that contains a municipality in which at least 75 percent of | ||
the county's population resides, the county clerk and any deputy | ||
clerk appointed by the clerk. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 51.402, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: | ||
(a-1) In a county to which Section 2.202(a)(5), Family Code, | ||
applies, the county clerk and any deputy clerk appointed by the | ||
clerk may conduct a marriage ceremony. | ||
SECTION 3. Subchapter G, Chapter 51, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 51.6045 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 51.6045. MARRIAGE CEREMONY FEE. (a) A clerk or deputy | ||
clerk who conducts a marriage ceremony under Section 51.402(a-1) | ||
shall collect a $25 fee for conducting the ceremony. The clerk or | ||
deputy clerk shall deposit the fee in the county treasury to be used | ||
by the county only to fund: | ||
(1) charitable organizations that assist or provide | ||
care for victims of child abuse or neglect; or | ||
(2) family violence centers that: | ||
(A) assist or provide care for victims of family | ||
violence or offer family violence prevention services; | ||
(B) serve the county in which the court is | ||
located; and | ||
(C) receive state or federal funds. | ||
(b) In this section: | ||
(1) "Family violence" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 71.004, Family Code. | ||
(2) "Family violence center" has the meaning assigned | ||
by Section 51.002, Human Resources Code. | ||
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to | ||
a marriage ceremony that is conducted on or after the effective date | ||
of this Act. A marriage ceremony conducted before the effective | ||
date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the | ||
ceremony was conducted, and the former law is continued in effect | ||
for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |