Assembly Bill 562
Persons authorized to officiate a marriage
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Oct 19, 2017
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 28, 2018: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Family Law. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill authorizes a civil celebrant to officiate a marriage. The bill defines a “civil celebrant" as an individual who is authorized by a secular organization to solemnize marriages or civil unions. A “secular organization" under the bill is an organization whose members subscribe to secular values, beliefs, and practices and that is not affiliated with or controlled by a church or particular religious authority.
Under current law, marriage is validly solemnized and contracted in this state after a marriage license has been issued and the two parties mutually declare, before an authorized officiating person and two witnesses, that they take each other as each other's spouse. The following persons are currently authorized officiating persons:
Read the full summary Show less
1) an ordained member of the clergy; 2) a licentiate of a denominational body or an appointee of a bishop serving as the regular member of the clergy of any church of the denomination to which the member of the clergy belongs; 3) the two marrying parties themselves, by mutual declaration that they take each other as each other's spouse; 4) a judge, reserve judge, or municipal judge; and 5) a circuit court commissioner. This bill adds a civil celebrant to the list of those who may officiate a marriage.
Who's behind it
10 lawmakers are its . All 10 are Democrats.
1 more lawmaker .
See all 11 names Hide the names
Authors (10)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- David Crowley · Democrat, Assembly
- Eric Genrich · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- JoCasta Zamarripa · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (1)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
What happened
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Mar 28, 2018
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Oct 19, 2017
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Family Law.
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Oct 19, 2017
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 19, 2017 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives C. Taylor, Zamarripa, Anderson, Genrich, Pope, Berceau, Sargent, Brostoff, Crowley and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Senator Carpenter
- Oct 19, 2017 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Family Law
- Mar 28, 2018 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor