S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
862
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 7, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sen. ROBACH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law and the executive law, in
relation to allowing marriages within twenty-four hours of receiving a
marriage license
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 13-b of the domestic relations law, as amended by
chapter 652 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
S 13-b. Time within which marriage may be solemnized. [A] 1. EXCEPT AS
PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION, A marriage shall not be
solemnized within twenty-four hours after the issuance of the marriage
license, unless authorized by an order of a court of record as herein-
after provided, nor shall it be solemnized after sixty days from the
date of the issuance of the marriage license unless authorized pursuant
to section three hundred fifty-four-d of the executive law. Every
license to marry hereafter issued by a town or city clerk, in addition
to other requirements specified by this chapter, must contain a state-
ment of the day and the hour the license is issued and the period during
which the marriage may be solemnized. It shall be the duty of the cler-
gyman or magistrate performing the marriage ceremony, or if the marriage
is solemnized by written contract, of the judge before whom the contract
is acknowledged, to annex to or endorse upon the marriage license the
date and hour the marriage is solemnized. A judge or justice of the
supreme court of this state or the county judge of the county in which
either party to be married resides, or if such party is under sixteen
years of age, the judge of the family court of such county, if it shall
appear from an examination of the license and any other proofs submitted
by the parties that one of the parties is in danger of imminent death,
or by reason of other emergency public interest will be promoted there-
by, or that such delay will work irreparable injury or great hardship
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03819-01-5
S. 862 2
upon the contracting parties, or one of them, may make an order author-
izing the immediate solemnization of the marriage and upon filing such
order with the clergyman or magistrate performing the marriage ceremony,
or if the marriage is to be solemnized by written contract, with the
judge before whom the contract is acknowledged, such clergyman or magis-
trate may solemnize such marriage, or such judge may take such acknowl-
edgment as the case may be, without waiting for such three day period
and twenty-four hour period to elapse. The clergyman, magistrate or
judge must file such order with the town or city clerk who issued the
license within five days after the marriage is solemnized. Such town or
city clerk must record and index the order in the book required to be
kept by him OR HER for recording affidavits, statements, consents and
licenses, and when so recorded the order shall become a public record
and available in any prosecution under this section. A person who shall
solemnize a marriage in violation of this section shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of
fifty dollars for each offense, and in addition thereto, his OR HER
right to solemnize a marriage shall be suspended for ninety days.
2. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TWENTY-FOUR HOUR WAITING PERIOD PRESCRIBED IN
SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, ANY MILITARY PERSONNEL WHOSE SCHEDULED
MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IS LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS AWAY MAY GET MARRIED WITHIN
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF RECEIVING A MARRIAGE LICENSE.
S 2. Section 354-d of the executive law, as added by chapter 723 of
the laws of 2005 and as renumbered by chapter 652 of the laws of 2007,
is amended to read as follows:
S 354-d. Time within which marriage may be solemnized; member of the
armed forces. 1. Notwithstanding section thirteen-b of the domestic
relations law, where either of the parties making application for a
marriage license, pursuant to section thirteen of the domestic relations
law, is a member of the armed forces of the United States on active duty
the marriage of the parties shall not be solemnized within twenty-four
hours after the issuance of the marriage license, nor shall it be solem-
nized after one hundred eighty days from the date of the issuance of the
marriage license. Proof that the applicant is a member of the armed
forces of the United States shall be furnished to the satisfaction of
the official issuing the marriage license. Every license to marry issued
pursuant to the provisions of this section shall state the day and hour
the license is issued and shall contain a recital that it is issued
pursuant to the provisions of this section.
2. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TWENTY-FOUR HOUR WAITING PERIOD PRESCRIBED IN
SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, ANY MILITARY PERSONNEL WHOSE SCHEDULED
MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IS LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS AWAY MAY GET MARRIED WITHIN
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF RECEIVING A MARRIAGE LICENSE.
S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.