Bill > SB0287

This bill modifies Michigan's existing marriage law by clarifying the validity of marriages performed by individuals who may not have fully met the legal requirements for solemnizing marriages. Specifically, the bill removes a detailed list of specific officials (such as district judges, mayors, and religious practitioners) who might have performed marriages and instead provides a more general standard: if a marriage is performed by someone who believes they are authorized to do so, and the married couple also believes they were lawfully joined, the marriage will be considered valid regardless of technical jurisdictional defects. The bill includes a tie bar provision, meaning it will only take effect if a companion Senate Bill (SB 0285) is also enacted into law. This amendment appears intended to prevent marriages from being invalidated due to minor procedural or administrative technicalities, thus protecting the legal status of marriages performed in good faith by individuals who reasonably believed they had the authority to solemnize the union.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0287