SB 544

Under current law, a person who wishes to change his or her name may petition

the circuit court in the county where he or she resides for the name change. Current

law requires publication in a newspaper of the person's petition for a name change.

After the court grants the person's name change, the order for the name change is

entered in the records of the court and a certified copy of the record is recorded in the

office of the county register of deeds. If the person whose name was changed was born

or married in this state, records of the name change are forwarded to the state

registrar of vital statistics (state registrar) so that the records kept by the state

registrar can be amended to reflect the name change. The state registrar directs the

register of deeds and the local registrar to amend their records as well.

Under this bill, a person who wishes to change his or her name is exempt from

the requirement to publish the petition for a name change in a newspaper if the

person who wishes to change his or her name demonstrates to the court that

publication of his or her petition could endanger him or her and that he or she is not

seeking a name change in order to avoid a debt or conceal a criminal record. If the

court determines that publication in a newspaper is not required for that reason, all

records of the name change are confidential. Under the bill, the court that orders the

name change forwards to the register of deeds a form that states the petitioner's

former name and states that the new name is confidential. If the person whose name

was changed was born or married in this state, records of the name change are

forwarded to the state registrar so that the records kept by the state registrar can

be amended to reflect the name change, but the state registrar forwards to the

register of deeds and the local registrar a form that states the petitioner's former

name and states that the new name is confidential. Under the bill, records of an

otherwise confidential name change may be inspected by another person if that

person demonstrates to the court that there is good cause for the person to inspect

the records and that the safety of the petitioner is not jeopardized.