HOUSE BILL No. 5950

 

March 11, 2010, Introduced by Reps. McMillin, Paul Scott, Lund, Haveman and Agema and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1887 PA 128, entitled

 

"An act establishing the minimum ages for contracting marriages; to

require a civil license in order to marry and its registration; to

provide for the implementation of federal law; and to provide a

penalty for the violation of this act,"

 

by amending section 2 (MCL 551.102), as amended by 2006 PA 578, and

 

by adding section 4a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. (1) Blank forms for a marriage license and certificate

 

shall be prepared and furnished by the state registrar appointed by

 

the director of the department of community health to each county

 

clerk of this state in the quantity needed. The blank form for a

 

license and certificate shall be made in duplicate and shall

 

provide spaces for the entry of identifying information of the

 

parties, a space for the parties to elect whether the marriage is a

 


covenant marriage under the covenant marriage act, and other items

 

prescribed in rules promulgated by the director of the department

 

of community health. The state registrar shall furnish to each

 

county clerk of this state blank application forms of an affidavit

 

containing the requisite allegations, under the laws of this state,

 

of the competency of the parties to unite in the bonds of

 

matrimony, and as required to comply with federal law, containing a

 

space requiring each applicant's social security number. A party

 

applying for a license to marry shall make and file the application

 

in the form of an affidavit with the county clerk as a basis for

 

issuing the license. The county clerk may permit a party applying

 

for a marriage license to submit that application electronically.

 

If the county clerk accepts an electronically submitted

 

application, the clerk shall print the required information from

 

the application in the form of an affidavit and have a party named

 

in the application sign the affidavit in the presence of the county

 

clerk or a deputy clerk. The license shall be made a matter of

 

record and shall be transmitted to the department of community

 

health in the manner prescribed by the state registrar. The state

 

registrar shall not require an applicant's social security number

 

to be displayed on the marriage license.

 

     (2) A person shall not disclose, in a manner not authorized by

 

law or rule, a social security number collected as required by this

 

section. A violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable

 

by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more

 

than $500.00, or both. A second or subsequent violation of this

 

subsection is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than

 


4 years or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both.

 

     (3) A requirement under this section to include a social

 

security number on an application does not apply to an applicant

 

who demonstrates he or she is exempt under law from obtaining a

 

social security number or to an applicant who for religious

 

convictions is exempt under law from disclosure of his or her

 

social security number under these circumstances. The county clerk

 

shall inform the applicant of this possible exemption.

 

     (4) The application required to be completed under subsection

 

(1) is a nonpublic record and is exempt from disclosure under the

 

freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246. The

 

application shall be made available, upon request, to the persons

 

named in the application.

 

     Sec. 4a. An individual officiating at a marriage who is given

 

a declaration of intent under the covenant marriage act completed

 

by the parties as provided in section 5 of the covenant marriage

 

act shall deliver the declaration of intent to the county clerk

 

that issued the marriage license with the completed marriage

 

license required to be delivered under section 4.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5951(request no.

 

03475'09 *) of the 95th Legislature is enacted into law.