| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 4183 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to a waiver of the waiting period for a marriage ceremony. |
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| 6 | 6 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 7 | 7 | | SECTION 1. Section 2.204(c), Family Code, is amended to |
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| 8 | 8 | | read as follows: |
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| 9 | 9 | | (c) An applicant may request a judge of a court with |
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| 10 | 10 | | jurisdiction in family law cases, a justice of the supreme court, a |
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| 11 | 11 | | judge of the court of criminal appeals, a county judge, [or] a judge |
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| 12 | 12 | | of a court of appeals, an associate judge appointed under Chapter |
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| 13 | 13 | | 201, an associate judge appointed under Chapter 54A, Government |
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| 14 | 14 | | Code, or a justice of the peace for a written waiver permitting the |
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| 15 | 15 | | marriage ceremony to take place during the 72-hour period |
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| 16 | 16 | | immediately following the issuance of the marriage license. If the |
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| 17 | 17 | | judge, associate judge, or justice finds that there is good cause |
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| 18 | 18 | | for the marriage to take place during the period, the judge, |
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| 19 | 19 | | associate judge, or justice shall sign the waiver. Notwithstanding |
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| 20 | 20 | | any other provision of law, a judge, associate judge, or justice |
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| 21 | 21 | | under this section has the authority to sign a waiver under this |
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| 22 | 22 | | section. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 24 | 24 | | to a marriage ceremony for which a marriage license application is |
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| 25 | 25 | | filed on or after the effective date of this Act. A marriage |
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| 26 | 26 | | ceremony for which a marriage license application is filed before |
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| 27 | 27 | | the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on |
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| 28 | 28 | | the date the application was filed, and the former law is continued |
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| 29 | 29 | | in effect for that purpose. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 31 | 31 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 32 | 32 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 33 | 33 | | I certify that H.B. No. 4183 was passed by the House on April |
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| 34 | 34 | | 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 129, Nays 15, 2 present, not |
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| 35 | 35 | | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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| 36 | 36 | | No. 4183 on May 26, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 126, Nays 10, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2 present, not voting. |
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| 38 | 38 | | ______________________________ |
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| 39 | 39 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 40 | 40 | | I certify that H.B. No. 4183 was passed by the Senate, with |
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| 41 | 41 | | amendments, on May 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays |
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| 42 | 42 | | 1. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 45 | 45 | | APPROVED: __________________ |
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| 46 | 46 | | Date |
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| 47 | 47 | | __________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Governor |
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