Republican state Sen. Greg Albritton, the bill's sponsor, told Fox News the bill is a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision to legalize gay marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges).

"No one particularly likes changing our law, I'll tell you that," he said. "However, under the circumstances, it's the best thing we can do."

The bill would ultimately allow Alabama judges to avoid the gay marriage debate.

Albritton introduced the measure several times after the Supreme Court ruled in the Obergefell v. Hodges case in 2015.

After the ruling, then-Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore told probate judges to use their power to deny same-sex couples marriage certificates, which led to his suspension.

"We would not have changed this had it not been for Obergefell," Albritton said. "But without the change, the law remains in conflict with Obergefell. So we got to make some changes to the law to come into compliance."

The bill does not stop the state from recognizing marriages, but judges would not be required to issue a license.

If passed, couples would not have to apply for a marriage license. Instead, they would submit a form to the probate judge swearing that they are of legal age, are entering the marriage willingly, are not already married, and are not related. The probate judge would then record the form as the official marriage document, Alabama.com reports.

The bill was approved by the Alabama Senate last week. It now heads to the House and could be up for a vote by next week.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

America Reads the Bible' Kicks Off in DC in Record-Breaking Fashion

Sweden Rethinks Digital Learning, Returns to 'Old-Fashioned' Books in Effort to Reverse Poor Literacy

Supreme Court Rejects Parents' Challenge to Massachusetts School Trans Policy

Gay Couple Face Online Fury for Video Making Fun of Crying Baby: 'There Is No Mama'

The Electoral College and the Popular Vote

The DOJ Has Found HOW MANY Dead People on Voter Rolls?

President Donald Trump to Read Scripture during America Reads the Bible; Issues Historic Message About the Bible's 'Enduring Guidance'

US Military Boards Iranian Ship in Gulf; Trump Threatens No More 'Mr. Nice Guy' if Talks Fail

Long Beach, California Cancels Their Popular July 4th Fireworks Show, Even for America's 250th Birthday, Citing Pollution as the Reason

Digital Nightmare? Anthropic Withholds AI Model Too Dangerous for Humanity

'A Victory for All Pro-Life Oregonians': Federal Judge Rules State Can't Force Oregon Right to Life to Pay for Abortions

10 Republicans Side With Dems to Provide Amnesty to Haitian Illegals

Virginia Dems Pass National Popular Vote Law that Experts Warn Is Unconstitutional

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Begins; Trump Says Iran's Regime Agrees to Give Up Having Nuclear Weapons

President Trump: Strait of Hormuz 'Fully Open', Oil Prices Drop

Clarence Thomas Destroys 'Progressivism' in Ruthless Speech

Trump Reveals He Has Multi-Pick SCOTUS Plan Ready as Justice Retirement Speculation Heats Up

Trump Admin Pushes Global Plan to Protect Kids Online

Youth Mental Health Deteriorates after Gender Reassignment Services, Extensive, Long-Term Study Finds

Trump Administration Pulls $11 Million in Funding for Catholic Charities that Sheltered Illegal Alien Minors