Hundreds of Bills Filed in Face of Deadline at Mississippi Legislature

Hundreds of bills have been filed in an attempt to meet a Monday deadline to submit proposals to the Mississippi Legislature. Among the proposals submitted are efforts to change marriage license procedures to eliminate Mississippi's three-day waiting period and required blood test. The requirements date back to 1958, when the state made its marriage laws more restrictive. But there is no wait to get married in the neighboring states of Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas. Rep. Ricky Cummings (D-Iuka) said his bill would provide that the $31 license fee would remain the same. The $10 currently paying for the blood test, which only screens for syphilis, would go instead to circuit clerks and domestic violence programs. "I believe places like Tunica [where casinos are located] and the Gulf Coast and Vicksburg would be attractive for marriage chapels if this bill passes," Cummings said. "I know one or two probably would be built in Tishomingo County." Under the proposal, anyone over 21 could get a license and marry immediately.

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