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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
SENATE BILL 325 By: Burns
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to marriage; amending 43 O.S. 2011,
Section 7, which relates to solemni zation of
marriages; prohibiting requirement for filing of
certain credentials or authority; requiring
destruction of certain records; prohib iting retention
of copies of certain rec ords; and providing an
effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 43 O.S. 2011, Section 7, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 7. A. All marriages must be contracted by a formal
ceremony performed or solemnized in the presence of at least two
adult, competent persons as witnesses, by a ju dge or retired judge
of any court in this state, or an orda ined or authorized preacher or
minister of the Gospel, priest or other ec clesiastical dignitary of
any denomination who has been duly ordained or authorized by the
church to which he or she belongs to preach the Gospel, or a rabbi
and who is at least eight een (18) years of age.
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B. 1. The judge shall place his or her order of appointment on
file with the office of the court clerk of the county in w hich he or
she resides.
2. The No preacher, minister, priest, rabbi, or ecclesiastical
dignitary who is a resident of this state shall have filed, in the
office of the court clerk of the county in which he or she resides,
a copy of the be required to file any credentials or authority from
his or her church or synagogue authorizing him or her to solemnize
marriages. Any such credentials or authority filed in the office of
the court clerk in any county in this state prior to the effective
date of this act shall be destroyed by the office of the court clerk
and no copies of such cred entials or authority shall be retained in
any format by any governmental entity.
3. The preacher, minist er, priest, rabbi, or ecclesiastical
dignitary who is not a resident of th is state, but has complied with
the laws of the state of which he or she is a resident, shall have
filed once, in the office of the court clerk of the county in which
he or she intends to perform or solemnize a marriage, a copy of the
credentials or author ity from his or her church or synagogue
authorizing him or her to solemnize marriages.
4. The filing by resident or nonresident preachers, ministers,
priests, rabbis, ecclesiastical dignitaries or judges shall be
effective in and for all counties of this state; provided, no fee
shall be charged for such r ecording.
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C. No person herein authorized to perform or solemnize a
marriage ceremony shall do so unless the license issued therefo r be
first delivered into his or her possession nor unless he or she has
good reason to believe the persons presenting themse lves before him
or her for marriage are the identical persons named in the license,
and for whose marriage the same was issued, and that there is no
legal objection or impediment to such marriage.
D. Marriages between persons belonging to the society call ed
Friends, or Quakers, the spiritual assembly of the Baha ’is, or the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which have no or dained
minister, may be solemnized by the persons and in the manner
prescribed by and practiced in any such society, church , or
assembly.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective No vember 1, 2021.
58-1-976 TEK 1/8/2021 4:22:05 PM