MONTGOMERY, Ala. (TAB) — A state Senate committee on Monday approved a bill that will remove the state’s 67 probate judges from the wedding license business following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex “marriage,” the Birmingham Business Journal reported.

The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved the bill that would eliminate state-issued marriage licenses. This would create a system where spouses would file a signed marriage contract at probate offices, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Many probate judges around the state have suspended marriage license services instead of providing the service to same-sex couples.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Baldwin, believes it could be a solution to the problems of probate judges’ moral convictions versus their legal obligation.

While lawmakers discuss other issues such as the state’s budget woes in the ongoing special session, this bill will require a two-thirds vote to pass, which is unlikely to come during special session.
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