BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to add an exception to a law requiring people to produce a birth certificate to get a marriage license.
A federal judge in March stopped enforcement of the 2016 statute after a foreign-born U.S. citizen sued because he was unable to produce the birth document and obtain a marriage license.
Language added into a bill by Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, a Houma Republican, would allow applicants who aren’t able to provide a birth certificate to get a waiver from a judge.
The proposal was approved in an 84-8 House vote and a 33-0 Senate vote on Thursday, and heads to the governor for consideration.
Sen. Danny Martiny, a Kenner Republican, says he hopes the adjusted language can resolve the litigation.
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House Bill 439: www.legis.la.gov
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