By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – Couples who obtain their marriage licenses after the first day of 2016 will see an increase in the cost of the license, as a bill passed earlier this year by the Alabama Legislature is set to go into effect.

During its 2015 session, the state Legislature passed House Bill 320, which raised the cost for marriage license fees by $30 statewide beginning Jan. 1, 2016. The additional $30 per marriage license will be earmarked for the newly created Domestic Violence Trust Fund, which is administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Domestic Violence Trust Fund will support certified domestic violence centers throughout the state each year, according to the legislative bill.

Shelby County Probate Court Chief Clerk Kim Melton said the bill will increase marriage license fees in Shelby County from $45 to $75 beginning with the new year. Couples can purchase marriage licenses up to 30 days before their wedding date.

“If you get your license before December 31, it will be at that lower rate,” Melton said.

In order to benefit from the Domestic Violence Trust Fund, certified shelters must “have as its primary mission the provision of services to victims of domestic violence,” and must “provide emergency shelter, counseling services, case management and advocacy, referral and 24-hour hotline telephone services for domestic violence victims.”

Since 1999, $30 from each marriage license purchased in the state has been used by county district attorneys to establish and maintain domestic violence shelters in each county.

To view the entire Legislative bill, visit https://legiscan.com/AL/text/HB320/2015.