Currently, to be granted a legal name change in Pennsylvania, one of the many steps an applicant must take is to submit a petition to the Court of Common Pleas.  Part of this requirement is to publish a notification of their intended name change in at least two newspapers circulated in their county.  This process creates an unnecessary barrier for many who seek this change as publication alone can be quite costly.  This process was once used, before the age of the internet, to allow for creditors and other collectors to stay informed in the instances that someone was trying to elude their financial duties.  It is now an antiquated requirement as court records are publicly accessible, and searchable, through online portals.  It also creates a potentially dangerous situation for domestic violence victims who sometimes need these documents in order to remain safe.
 
Our legislation aims to address this issue by eliminating the notification requirement and by sealing name change files automatically if the individual requesting the name change is doing so to affirm their gender identity or because they were a victim of domestic violence. 
 
As elected officials, we must constantly be prepared to recognize and re-evaluate how our laws impact different communities. Please join us in co-sponsoring this commonsense legislation to support domestic violence survivors and update this outdated law.
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1508 (Apr 28, 2025): 54-701(a.1)