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House rejects broad substitute and approves clarified list of officials who may solemnize marriages
Summary
The House debated Senate Bill 157 (authorization to perform marriages). A floor substitute to expand deputization and authorize all legislators to solemnize marriages failed; the House passed the original bill clarifying who may solemnize marriages and limiting deputization authority.
The Utah House debated and passed Senate Bill 157, a measure that clarifies which state officials may solemnize marriages and narrows deputization rules. Representative Newbold presented the bill and said it adds county executives to the list of authorized solemnizers while clarifying that those listed generally cannot deputize others except in specified county clerk circumstances.
A lengthy floor substitute was proposed that would have broadened authority (including giving county clerks a broad power to deputize others and extending authority to all members of the legislature). Proponents of the substitute argued it would solve practical problems when licensed officiants were not available and would allow county clerks to deputize trusted individuals; Representative Hansen said county clerks face workload pressures and deputies can help. Opponents said the substitute removed long‑standing legislative discretion over who may solemnize marriages and risked indiscriminate deputization. Representative Newbold and others warned against creating an open deputization power and against turning the function into a fee‑for‑service cottage industry.
The motion to substitute failed on a recorded vote (19 yes, 45 no). The House then returned to the original bill and passed SB 157 on a recorded vote of 45 yes, 26 no. Representative Newbold noted county support and said county clerks indicated they could handle the workload if limited deputization authority were granted. The measure will be signed by the Speaker and returned to the Senate for the president’s signature.
What happens next: SB 157 is sent back to the Senate after House passage. The House’s rejection of the broad substitute preserves statutory limits on who may deputize solemnizers while clarifying county clerk exceptions.
