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Announcement Topic: Member Update

Marriage Fraud in the News

The Justice of the Peace Association has discussed and reported how the number of couples entering Connecticut for fraudulent marriages has increased since the pandemic. In some towns the clerks have managed to shoo them away. In others, there is a steady stream. Unfortunately the laws do not support JPs refusing to perform the ceremony. But JPus provided training so officiants know how to recognize and respond when they encounter suspected fraudulent marriages.

In the News

Some unscrupulous JPs have been knowingly performing marriages between a US citizen and a non-citizen who do not appear to know each other without taking additional steps to protect the vulnerable. These are some of the published news articles after an expose in New Haven, Connecticut.

  • On November 7, 2024, the New Haven Independent released its investigative report about a justice of the peace who was performing an extraordinarily high number of what appears to be fraudulent marriages. US citizens marrying mostly Indian nationals. The couples didn’t appear to know each other and they didn’t live in New Haven, where the ceremonies occurred. Other JPs quoted in the article appeared indifferent to the situation, and unaware of the risks to vulnerable populations.
  • The Mirror published the New Haven Independent’s article in its entirety.
  • A week  later, the Hartford Courant posted a follow-up news article highlighting legislators’ concerns.
  • National news caught the story and conservative commentator Ann Coulter ran a story, using it to promote her anti-immigration views.

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Fees – Survey Results

What do you charge to perform a marriage ceremony? 

That was the question posed by the Justice of the Peace Association in its anonymous survey of marriage officiants.

Most respondents have been officiating for more than eight years, and 82% are members of JPus. All of the almost 100 people who completed the survey live in New England.
The Justice of the Peace Association encourages a range of fees, depending on the circumstances of the ceremony. One third of respondents charge $100 for their low-end. On the other hand, three people indicated that $500 is their lowest rate.  Eleven percent of respondents said sometimes they do not charge anything at all. We hope that this is the friends and family rate, or that these individuals are not members of JPus. This is because the JPus Code of Ethics requires that members charge a fee that reflects their time and expertise.

Low Range

High Range

The high end of fees runs the gamut*. Most officiants charge between $250-$500, with 15% charging more than $750. The least experienced officiants were the seven people who said they have been doing weddings for one to three years, but they were not the only ones who undervalued their services.
* In Massachusetts, state law dictates the fees a JP may charge to perform a marriage ceremony: $100 in town and $150 out of town. But, JPs may bill couples for additional services (custom vows, consultation, etc.) Twelve people from Massachusetts responded to the survey.

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CT Chain-In to End Child Marriage

The bill to end child marriage is stalled in the CT Senate.

The House already passed it, and the Governor promised to sign it. If they don’t act by Wednesday, the bill will die.

Connecticut could end child marriage right now — but HB6569, the bill that would ban it in the state, is stalling in the Senate and may not be called for a floor vote.
We need to take immediate action to urge the Senate President, Senator Martin Looney, to schedule the bill for a vote. Following are two action items:
  • Please follow this link for an email campaign targeted at CT Senate President Looney. The Senate President has the power to bring HB6569 to the floor for a vote right now and end child marriage in Connecticut. The session ends on Wednesday and the bill will die if it is not voted upon. Customize the email to let him know you are a JP or town clerk.
  • Gather at the Connecticut State Capitol tomorrow (Friday) wearing bridal gowns and veils, with our arms chained and mouths taped, to protest forced and child marriage and urge Connecticut senators to pass HB6569, the simple, commonsense bill that would eliminate all marriage before age 18, no exceptions.

Chain-In Hartford
June 2, 2023 at 10:00 AM
Connecticut State Capitol
210 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT

If the senate doesn’t take action, this may turn  into a perpetual Chain-In:  at the capitol EVERY DAY until the end of the legislative session (June 7), unless the senate passes the bill.
Please join in! Details, FAQ and registration are HERE.
Thank you to our champions in the House! Representative Jillian Gillchrest, Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey and Representative Sarah Keitt are busy navigating the politics to get this bill over the finish line.

Related Links

  • On May 3, 2023, the bill passed the House 98 to 45. Hooray! Watch the debate on the House floor. (Trigger warning: some verbiage by opponents of the bill is infuriating – and untrue.)
  • Legislative activity in Connecticut to end child marriage, including JPus’ testimony to legislators.
  • Information and a link to view JPus’ panel discussion about child marriage in Connecticut.
  • Landing page for JPus activity involving child marriage in all of our states.
  • Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage
  • How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.

NH Bill to End Child Marriage

NH HB34 to end child marriage-2023On January 22, 2023, the Justice of the Peace Association submitted testimony to New Hampshire’s Children and Family Law Committee in support of HB34. The legislation would change the minimum age to marry in the state to 18 – no exceptions. Read JPus’ testimony.

 

Child Marriage Workshop – Connecticut

February 16, 2023 at 6:00 PM

Join the Justice of the Peace Association and the National Association of Social Workers – CT for an interactive workshop that exposes the harm of child marriage and efforts underway to end it in Connecticut. Esteemed panelists will highlight the social, emotional, and ethical problems connected with child marriage, the need for “brightline” (no exceptions) laws, and what Connecticut marriage officiants, clerks and citizens can do to advocate for change. Read more and registration.

Member Support

Member Support for Members Only

There are many benefits to a membership with the Justice of the Peace Association. One of them is access to a robust Member Support section of the website with over 50 articles. Each one was written to help our members with knowledge and tips to enhance their services. For instance, topics range from performing ceremonies in a prison to professional liability insurance. From collecting payment from a couple to exploring your own implicit bias. And more.

These articles are available for members only. Thus, this means that to access the articles you must be logged into the JPus.org website.

Logging In to the JPus Website

To log into the Justice of the Peace Association website, members must click the login button at the top right corner of either findaJP.com or JPus.org. Then, enter your email and password.

Forgotten Password

If you forgot your password, simply click Lost Your Password on the login page. Enter the email address you use to log into JPus. Then, in the email sent to you, follow the prompts to reset your password.

  • If you don’t see the email, please look in your spam folder. Then, after you are logged in, follow these instructions to add our email addresses to your safe senders list
  • If you enter an incorrect password six times you will be locked out for one hour. Wait an hour, and then reset your password.

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Websites’ Improved Performance

findaJP has fast website to improve user experienceTake notice of the improved website performance of both findaJP.com and JPus.org. It’s a big deal!

The Justice of the Peace Association has made a significant investment to improve website hosting. In other words, even better performance, security and SEO. You may observe that the findaJP.com and JPus.org websites are faster. What you cannot see is Google taking notice. Increased page loading times results in enhanced couple engagement and better user experience.

findaJP.com is a very complex database website. As such, it requires the computer system to go through an extraordinary amount of steps each time a user searches for officiants on a state, county or town page. Or, when it searches for a specific member. In essence, this recent expenditure takes the website platforms to a whole new level.

Improved Site Performance

We all like a fast website. Naturally, rapid loading speeds have many benefits.

  • Improved customer satisfaction. That means couples looking for an officiant, and our members, too!
  • The improved hosting also results in better security and less interference – both affect search results.
  • Strong conversion rates. This supports couples following links and connecting with their perfect JP or notary ~ you!

Optimization

This is not a one-time deal. Know that we’re continuously optimizing the website for ongoing improvements. Thus, you can count on JPus to maximize benefits.

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What are your favorite traditions & rituals?

Understanding the reasons behind our choices gives perspective. It helps us recognize what is our niche. Similarly, talking about our services and what we like to do builds connections with prospective couples.

What are Your Favorite Traditions and Rituals?

Tell us about your favorite tradition and ritual. Does it have personal meaning? Historical perspective? While we all perform the ceremonies that our couples desire, some are more meaningful than others. We want to hear about your special reason.

Share the News

  • Send us your reason why through our JPus Facebook Page or send us an email. Include a photo, too. We’ll then share the love on our findaJP Facebook and Instagram pages. Be sure to like our pages so we can tag you!
  • Check out additional details of our social media membership perk – because we’ll announce a new theme quarterly. We also have the low-down on how-to submit your story and photo on Facebook.

Related Links

  • We promote our members’ replies on social media. See the last video on Facebook.
  • Details on how to participate in this social media perk are explained in this article.
  • Follow all of JPus and findaJP’s social media platforms.
  • Make sure that posts on Facebook make it to your newsfeed. This article explains how to reflect your preferences.
  • Learn more about the JPus Facebook Page, and why its Likes, Follows and Reviews matter to you.

Website Update – It’s Ready!

We are excited to announce that the JPus/findaJP website rebuild will be launched on August 12, 2021. The information below is intended to prepare our members so you know what to expect.

Website Off-line

During the new website’s launch, findaJP.com and JPus.org will be temporarily unavailable, starting on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 4:00PM. We are planning to be off-line for up to 24 hours. During this time members may not update profiles or renew memberships until the data migration is complete and the new site is live. Your membership is important to us. Please know that as we progress through these last steps, every effort is made to minimize impact on our users and to restore both sites to normal operations as quickly as possible.

We will send a reminder email before the process begins. Again, when the data migration is complete, we’ll send another message letting you know that the new site is live.

Get Ready

This is a great time to review the information you use to login. Please take this time to confirm the email address included in your contact details is current and accessible. If you have forgotten your password, don’t worry. Members can reset their password during login (requires access to email address on file) by clicking the “forgot password” button.

What’s Next

Since we first announced our plan to update the findaJP.com and JPus websites, we expanded the scope of work. Initially the focus was on the inner-workings. We wanted to keep up with current web technology, improve the membership system, and increase security. However, we added a few improvements to the front end, too. While most of the updates still focus on the backend, others will be more noticeable.

New Site Features

  • Member Profile Images on findaJP will be larger. Make sure yours is the correct size so your picture doesn’t get distorted. Maximum file size for the image is 1MB and (new) minimum width is 225px.
  • Wider Screens and Banners. This means larger fonts and improved readability. Since the site is larger, it uses wider banner images, too. We have new default banners, or you can upload your own custom banner. In fact, if you use a custom banner it will need updating. The maximum file size is 2MB, and maximum width is 1024px. Recommended banner size: 1024px x 250px.
  • A Profile Teaser text is a short summary that will appear on the town listing search results. On the current site the first few lines of your About Me are visible. With the new website, you have the option of customizing the text that appears there. Think about how to get couples’ attention. Then, include your message in your profile.
  • Enhanced Membership Dashboards. In addition to editing your public profile, reviewing client contacts, and managing your membership, the new and improved member dashboards will also make it easier to preview your profile and access membership services like support articles and discounts.
  • Membership Subscriptions. Our new membership system allows automatic membership renewals and other flexible subscription options.
  • Highlighted Content. Updated findaJP.com and JPus.org front pages make it easier to keep up with new content including blogs, events, social media, and more.

You can also stay-tuned to this announcement page or JPus’ official Facebook group for updates. Any steps required by members ahead of the migration will be included in that update.

Related Links

★ Help navigating your JPus Dashboard

★ Understanding the difference between JPus and findaJP

★ Make your Profile Shine

★ How to Improve Profile Visibility

Statement on Racial Injustice from JPus’ Managing Member

Along with the rest of the country and world, I have watched the recent harrowing events unfold, and felt anguish and anger. George Floyd’s horrific murder, and the callousness of the police officers on scene who failed to intervene to save his life, illustrate the most heinous parts of our society.

I believe with all my heart that, in the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, “No one is free until we are all free.” Like many of you, I routinely put these values to practice in my daily life. But that is not enough. To make change, each one of us must speak out and be heard — in all aspects of our lives.

In light of this, where does the Justice of the Peace Association fit in? JPus and findaJP were built upon a foundation of love. All love. Quoting MLK again, “We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love…” We stand against racism and discrimination and will work for the change we want to see. We are an inclusive organization that believes in equality of all people. And our activities must reflect these values.

How can our marriage-focused organization be a part of the solution to end racism and discrimination? Our team is finding our voice and determining what steps we should take to do better.

First Steps:

  • We strengthened our policies to better reflect our beliefs.
  • We are revising the Code of Ethics that all members agree to when they join the Justice of the Peace Association. They are currently in DRAFT form, and we invite members to comment before we finalize them.
  • Please view the DRAFT of the revised Code of Ethics and send me an email with your feedback.

Next Steps:

  • Formally updating the Code of Ethics
  • Implicit bias training for officiants

We also renew our commitment to ensure that our space is welcoming and safe for people of color. We encourage all members of our community to join us in solidarity with our friends and neighbors and to speak out and demand policies and laws that address systematic racism. Some steps we can all take include:

  • Join peaceful protests to let your voice be heard.
  • Contact your legislators.
  • Have conversations. Even if they are uncomfortable.
  • Support organizations that address racial inequality. A couple that we like:
    NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Color of Change

I always welcome your calls and emails, but especially during this time. Together we will be better by working for the change we want to see.
In health and safety,
Loretta

Loretta Jay
Managing Member
203.255.7703
[email protected]

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