Story highlights Bill makes cases involving abuse, fraud or human trafficking a second-degree felony

Opponents say it's not the right approach to preventing abuse

(CNN) By the narrowest of margins, a bill expanding Utah's anti-bigamy law passed the state Senate just before a midnight deadline Thursday.

The bill changes the wording of what makes someone a bigamist in the state and adds penalties for cases that involve abuse, fraud and human trafficking, according to the text of the bill

Kody Brown and his four wives, the stars of the reality TV show "Sister Wives," sued Utah in 2011, saying its law was unconstitutional. The polygamists won in US District Court in 2013 but the decision was overturned on appeal last year.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah state Rep. Mike Noel, a Republican, proposed changes to the anti-bigamy law after reviewing the Brown case. His goal with rewording the law is to avoid any potential lawsuits, he told CNN affiliate KTSU in February.

The law would now say that a person is guilty of bigamy if he or she lives with a purported spouse while legally married to someone else. The current law says bigamy occurs when a married man weds someone "spiritually" or when he cohabitates with someone.

Read More