Ga. House Wants Politicos to Perform Weddings

Georgia's top politicians would have the power to perform marriages under a proposal that easily passed the House.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson made a rare trip to the well of the House Thursday to support an amendment that would allow the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House and constitutional officers to preside at weddings.

Georgia law now allows justices of the Georgia Supreme Court and some other jurists to officiate weddings, but it does not extend to elected politicians. Richardson says the measure was prompted when Gov. Sonny Perdue recently was told he could not preside at a wedding.

The measure, which was approved 155-1, was tacked onto a proposal designed to urge couples to get tested for sickle cell disease before marrying. It now goes to the Senate.
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On the Net:
House Bill 184: http://www.legis.ga.gov
(AP)