The bill under consideration, Substitute House Bill No. 5412, proposes changes to the requirements for obtaining a marriage license in terms of identification and citizenship status information. The bill, effective October 1, 2024, would prevent registrars of vital statistics from requiring marriage license applicants to provide their Social Security numbers and from inquiring about their citizenship or immigration status. Previously, the law mandated that the Social Security numbers of both individuals be recorded on the marriage license. The new bill allows applicants to voluntarily provide their Social Security numbers for identification purposes, and if they do so, the registrar must record the number in the "administrative purposes" section of the license.

Additionally, the bill makes conforming changes to subsection (a) of section 17b-137a of the general statutes, which pertains to the recording of Social Security numbers on applications for various licenses, certifications, or permits. The deletion indicates that Social Security numbers will no longer be required on marriage license applications, but if provided voluntarily, they will be recorded. The bill has been reported favorably by the Judiciary Committee and is set to take effect on October 1, 2024, amending sections 46b-25 and 17b-137a(a) of the general statutes. The fiscal impact statement indicates that the bill will not result in any fiscal impact on the state or municipalities, as it is not expected to change the number of individuals seeking marriage licenses annually.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill:
JUD Joint Favorable Substitute:
File No. 452: