Search Results for "NH-New%20Hampshire/town/belknap/Center-Harbor"

NH JPs – New statement opposing temp officiants

Calling all NH justices of the peace. The temporary officiant bill passed to the Senate and there is a hearing on Tuesday, April 23rd. Please read JPus’ statement opposing the bill and send us an email letting us know that you want to have your name added to it. Please do this again, even if you signed onto the statement to the House. (This one is a little different.) Read the statement here and then tell us to add your name.

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 […]

The Day: 9/25/2005

‘Party 1’ And ‘Party 2’ Soon Will Get To Say ‘I Do’ Published September 25. 2005 12:01AM | Updated December 17. 2009 3:35PM By Karin Crompton, Development/Transportation/Demographics Reporter The scene: two men stand before a justice of the peace or a minister. It is a civil-union ceremony, and they have said their “I do’s” and exchanged rings. The officiant turns to the couple. “I now pronounce you …” Pronounce you what? Language, or terminology, is but one of the details facing JPs, town clerks and couples themselves as Oct. 1 draws near. Saturday marks the day when a new state law allowing […]

Southern Coast, Maine

As the name suggests, the southern coast of Maine is located just over the New Hampshire border. The first town encountered when crossing the Memorial Bridge is Kittery, established in 1647 and the oldest town in the state.  Along the bucolic shoreline are beaches and then more beaches. Taken together with the art galleries and antique shops, there are countless nooks for an elopement. Not to mention the scenic shoreline with marinas and private clubs for a larger wedding affair. Unsure what is the right place for you? Let your notary know what you are looking for, and he or […]

2024 Testimony to End Child Marriage in New Hampshire

  The Justice of the Peace Association submitted written testimony in support of New Hampshire’s 2024 bill to end child marriage. Thirty-three NH JPs signed onto JPus’ letter supporting the bill. Related Links Information about our advocacy and partnerships for officiants about child and forced marriage. Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage JPus has been on the forefront of legislative activity to end child marriage in other states Follow our state-by-state changes to marriage laws How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage Working with our partners amplifies our voice and helps achieve our goals

NH Talking Points 2020

Your Voice Counts! HB1599, an Act establishing a special marriage officiant license, continues to make its way through the NH General Court. JPus created these talking points for JPs and town clerks to help guide conversations. It will take one-on-one conversations and emails to defeat this bill. Invite your friends and family members to get involved, and ask them to contact their legislators, too. Contact Your Senator If you don’t know who your Senator is, click here. We recommend personal connections with senators. This will help them hear how implementation of this bill will hurt New Hampshirites. Our goal is to help the […]

Lakes/White Mountain Region

The natural beauty of the Lakes and White Mountain Region of New Hampshire creates a backdrop hard to beat. Romantic mountaintops await. Here, your JP may hike with just the two of you to exchange vows. Or, behold a lakeside resort, able to accommodate a large wedding party. Whether you are a native to the area, or you’ve always dreamt of a destination wedding. Opportunity abounds! Unsure what is the right venue for you? Let your JP know what you are looking for, and he or she will likely have suggestions. Find a Wedding Officiant in the Lakes/White Mountain Region […]

NH 1599 – What Happened 2020

Updated July 13, 2020 When it comes to amateur officiants in New Hampshire, the Justice of the Peace Association fights diligently on behalf of our members.That is because logic and righteousness are on our side. We’ve done the research. We’ve explored alternatives. We’ve built allies. And we played by the rules. A Quick Summary In June 2019, the legislative session ended with an upset. The special marriage officiant bill died after the Senate President blocked it – based on the problems raised by JPus. While we were successful, we also knew that our work wasn’t done. The bill would be […]

NH Special Officiants

The Problem In New Hampshire, under ethically questionable circumstances, legislators passed a bill allowing amateur wedding officiants. This happened despite the significant problems with Vermont and Massachusetts’ lay-officiant rules. Beyond belittling professional JPs and creating loopholes that put vulnerable citizens at risk, town clerks in both states complain that temporary officiants have doubled their workload and jeopardized the validity of marriages. Now with the coronavirus, they increase the risk of community spread, too. Legislative Activity 2020 A bill to allow special marriage officiants, HB1599, was introduced for the 2020 legislative session; it died in the House. Under guise of the […]