Keeping certain name changes confidential

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.