Alabama state Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, has pre-filed a bill that would require couples to take at least one conflict resolution class before they can get married.

Currently, the only requirements to get married in Alabama are to complete a marriage document and pay a recording fee.

Under Smitherman’s bill, SB33, a probate judge would still collect the fee but there would be no requirement to obtain a license or undergo a ceremony to “solemnize the marriage.”

Once a couple had completed their class and turned in documentation listing their names and verification that both parties are 18 or above or 16 with a parent’s permission, the marriage would be recorded.

The bill would also require the Administrative Office of Courts to determine minimum requirements for an acceptable premarital conflict resolution class and to create a form to verify class attendance, it says.

Smitherman cited domestic violence figures within the bill’s text. Efforts to reach Smitherman for comment were not immediately successful.

“The Legislature finds and declares the following: (1) About one in four women and one in seven men have experienced physical violence by their intimate partner at some point in their lifetimes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” it reads.

“(2) Annually, domestic violence is responsible for over 1,500 deaths in the United States; (3) According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, in almost 20 percent of all marriages and intimate partnerships, couples slap, shove, hit, or otherwise assault each other.

“Emotional abuse, such as verbal threats, degrading remarks, and controlling behavior, is even more common. And (4) Over 15 million children in the United States live in households where intimate partner violence has occurred at least once in the last year.”

SB33 would only apply to couples getting married after Oct. 1, 2025, and would not affect any other legal aspects of marriage including, but not limited to, divorce, spousal support, child custody, or child support, it says.

The bill is currently pending action in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.