| 1 | 1 | | 81R9716 JSC-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Kolkhorst H.B. No. 2472 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to persons authorized to perform a marriage ceremony. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sections 2.202(a) and (b), Family Code, are |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | (a) The following persons are authorized to conduct a |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | marriage ceremony: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | (1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | priest; |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | (2) a Jewish rabbi; |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (3) a person who is an officer of a religious |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | marriage ceremony; [and] |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (4) a justice of the supreme court, judge of the court |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | of criminal appeals, justice of the courts of appeals, judge of the |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | district, county, and probate courts, judge of the county courts at |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | law, judge of the courts of domestic relations, judge of the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | juvenile courts, [retired justice or judge of those courts,] |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | justice of the peace, [retired justice of the peace,] or judge or |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | magistrate of a federal court of this state; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (5) a judge or magistrate of a federal court of another |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | state; |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (6) a judge or justice of a court of another state that |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | is analogous to a court listed in Subdivision (4); and |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (7) a retired judge, justice, or magistrate of a court |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | listed in Subdivision (4), (5), or (6). |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (b) For the purposes of this section, a retired judge, |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | justice, or magistrate is: |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (1) [a retired judge or justice is] a former judge or |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | justice who is vested in the Judicial Retirement System of Texas |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Plan One or the Judicial Retirement System of Texas Plan Two; or |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (2) a former judge, justice, or magistrate who has an |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | aggregate of at least eight [12] years of service as a judge, [or] |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | justice, or magistrate of any type listed in Subsection (a)(4), |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | (5), or (6). |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | to a marriage ceremony that is conducted on or after the effective |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | date of this Act. A marriage ceremony conducted before the |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | date the ceremony was conducted, and the former law is continued in |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | effect for that purpose. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
|---|