Relating to the return of a completed marriage license to a county clerk after the marriage ceremony.
Bill overview
Relating to the return of a completed marriage license to a county clerk after the marriage ceremony.
Reference notes
HB 4621 sources, status methodology and verification
Sources
- HB 4621 official legislative recordPrimary bill-status record.
- Current official bill textOfficial bill text or printing.
Methodology
KeepTXRed treats the official legislative record and latest official action as the factual status layer for HB 4621. Status labels are normalized for browsing, while the legislative timeline and documents preserve official action text and source links. Any KeepTXRed explanation below is editorial context and remains separate from the official record.
Last verified
Legislative record synchronized September 6, 2026 at 1:55 PM UTC; latest recorded official action May 16, 2025.
Bill → law → agency context
This relationship layer distinguishes what the normalized official record can prove from what it cannot. Enactment and effective dates come from the bill record. Agency names below are shown only when an official fiscal document supplies a verified agency reference; being cited in a fiscal note does not by itself prove that the agency administers the resulting law.
Official fiscal-note agency context
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KeepTXRed explanation
This reviewed explanation is separate from the official bill record and is provided for general information, not legal advice.
KeepTXRed summary
HB 4621 was a House-passed marriage-license administration proposal allowing the officiant to authorize the married couple to return the completed license to the county clerk. It did not become law.
What would change
The House-passed version, after a floor amendment replaced the committee proposal, would have allowed a person who conducted a marriage ceremony to authorize the parties to return the recorded and subscribed marriage license to the issuing county clerk within the existing deadline and would have protected both the officiant and authorized parties from the existing failure-to-return penalty when that procedure was followed.
Who may be affected
Newly married couples, marriage officiants, county clerks, judges and family-law practitioners.
When it would take effect
HB 4621 did not take effect. It passed the House and was referred to Senate State Affairs on May 16, 2025, but did not receive final Senate passage.
Limits and uncertainty
The House-passed text materially differed from the earlier committee version that focused on electronic return by judges. The page reflects the engrossed House version, which was the version sent to the Senate.
Editorial sources and review notes
Official engrossed House text, committee analysis and legislative stages reviewed; House floor amendment reconciled against the committee substitute.
Editorial explanation reviewed 9/6/2026.
Current status
Passed
Referred to State Affairs
Latest official action
Referred to State Affairs
May 16, 2025 · house
Who this bill may affect
A verified audience or subject classification has not been attached to this bill yet.
Use the bill overview and official documents to determine whether the proposal may apply to you, your business, or a public agency.
Sponsors
author
Committee history
- Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
Out of committee
- State Affairs
In committee
Legislative timeline
Referred to State Affairs
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Official recordReferred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
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Official record
Official bill text
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Related articles
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