Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed a bill on Wednesday that would allow county clerks' names to be removed from state marriage license forms.
"We now have a single form that accommodates all concerns. Everyone benefits from this common sense legislation," Bevin said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "There is no additional cost or work required by our county clerks. They are now able to fully follow the law without being forced to compromise their religious liberty."
Bevin had promised to make changes to the license while campaigning for governor's seat last year. After taking office, he issued an executive order to remove county clerk's name from marriage licenses. The bill, which passed unanimously both in the House of Representatives and Senate, was a codification of governor's earlier order.
SB 216 creates a single form that both heterosexual and homosexual couples can use at the county clerk's office, where they can choose between calling themselves 'bride', 'groom', or 'spouse'.
The law was passed months after Rowan county clerk Kim Davis spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses, in defiance of court orders. She had turned away same-sex couples saying that issuing licenses with her name on them is same as giving her personal acceptance to the same-sex union, which was against her deeply-held religious beliefs.
"Kentuckians can come together to find solutions that are inclusive and treat everyone fairly and with dignity," Chris Hartman, the director of the Fairness Campaign, said of the bill.
An earlier version of the bill had two separate forms for heterosexual and gay couples, with one form having columns for 'bride' and 'groom,' while the other had options for 'first party' and 'second party.' Objections were raised against the two-form system. The bill that was finally approved included one form for heterosexual and homosexual couples, which was acceptable to both the opponents and supporters of the marriage license amendment.
The final bill was favored unanimously in both the state House and Senate, with a 97-0 vote in the former, and a 36-0 vote in the latter.
