A new bill passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives Tuesday would end the state's practice of issuing marriage licenses in order to "protect" local court clerks from issuing them to same-sex couples.

Instead, the responsibility of filing "certificates of marriage" will be left to the clergy, or those who officiate marriage ceremonies, whether they're same-sex or not.

House Bill 1125 author Rep. Todd Russ (pictured) praised the legislation as a loophole for homophobic county clerks looking to defy a recent federal ruling that forces the state to recognize same-sex marriages, saying it will "take them out of the trap."

The bill doesn't use language that specifies marriage is between one man and one woman, but the shift from filing marriage licenses to "certificates of marriage" more or less allows the state to choose which will be recognized by the federal government (since you must have a marriage license to be recognized as a married couple in the eyes of the federal government).

If passed, HB 1125 would make Oklahoma the only state to implement such a process.

Troy Stevenson, executive director of LGBT advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma, said in a statement:

This legislation puts ALL couples - who plan to marry in Oklahoma – at risk of being denied hundreds of federal legal rights and protections, if it were to become law. The federal government and other states will not be required to acknowledge these proposed ‘marriage certificates.’ This legislation will only result in mass confusion from clerk’s offices to courtrooms around the nation - while putting Oklahoma families at risk. In the past six months, the freedom to marry has been the law of the land in Oklahoma, and not a single marriage has been at risk - until now, and it is our elected officials who are creating the danger.

After passing 67-24 yesterday afternoon, the bill is now headed for a vote in the Senate.