Last year, with the support of NH JPs, JPus successfully blocked the special officiant bill. Since that time we worked behind the scenes to have language in the bill modified. Although we were led to believe that changes would be made, they weren’t. A new bill, HB 1599, was submitted for the 2020 session and the language remains the same as last year. Additional information about the bill and JPus’ activity is below in Related Links. The Justice of the Peace Association will be submitting this written statement to the New Hampshire House. It is in opposition to HB 1599, An […]
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Oppose Temporary Marriage Officiant in NH
Your Voice Counts! HOW TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY The New Hampshire legislature held public hearings about HB295-FN-A, an Act establishing a special marriage officiant license. JPus created this guide for JPs and town clerks, because the legislators needed to hear from stakeholders to get their perspective of this legislation. All the effort paid off, and the bill died without passing. Written Testimony You may submit written testimony by email to your own legislators so they are aware of your position. If you don’t know who your Senator is, click here. Please also send a copy of your testimony to JPus at [email protected] so we can submit it to […]
Registration Open – JPus Conference 2021
The Justice of the Peace Association is celebrating 20 years with our first virtual conference. This event will bring together keynote speakers, presentations and workshops in an informative and engaging format. We’re striving for a creative environment where civil officiants can re-imagine weddings, learn new skills, and nurture relationships with others through networking opportunities. Tickets Get your conference tickets here and take advantage of our early-bird pricing. This conference is for professional marriage officiants and Town Clerks. Early-bird registration is open until February 15th at 5:00 pm. At that time full-price registration and ticket sales will open until March 12, 2021 at […]
Engaging MA Legislators: Oct. 1, 2019
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight On October 1, 2019, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight held a hearing on the Resolve to evaluate the One Day Solemnizer rule. This hearing was in response to JPus’ members concerns, conveyed through JPus’ January 2019 white paper. Senator Julian Cyr sponsored a Resolve to create a commission study on the One-Day Solemnizer rule. JPus and the Town Clerk Association would be members of the Commission. To be successful, JPs and town clerks will need to engage legislators. Call Committee Chairs and let them know you support the […]
MA: 2019 Legislation
This page is not being updated. The following bills were submitted to the Massachusetts General Court in 2019: S 1831 establishes a commission study to evaluate the One-Day rule (Cyr) SD 941 increases application fees for 1-Dayers (Gobi) SD 943 broadens JP’s advertising to include in “any public media” (Gobi) S1833 increases the fees that JPs may charge to $120 in-town, and $180 for out-of-town ceremonies (DiDomenico). See JPus’ statement of support. Background: One-Day Rule: Senator Cyr’s bill, S 1831, is in response to JPus’ white paper outlining the problems with the One-Day rule. The bill would develop a committee to […]
Partnerships
We form strategic partnerships with individuals, groups and organizations that share our goal of supporting marriage officiants with the performance of their duties. Doing so allows us to broaden our strength and influence, and be a more effective leader and representative for our members. Public Agencies Secretary of State’s offices & Town Clerks The Secretary of State‘s offices and town clerks are important stakeholders to us, and our natural partners. Their role complements that of officiants in marriage’s legal process. Working together benefits all parties, because it improves communication. Connecting couples with our members is our core service. So, we are […]
Gender Neutral Terms
All of the New England states that JPus is active in use gender-neutral terms on marriage licenses. However, this wasn’t always the case. The History We were pleased to learn that in 2019 Maine started using gender-neutral terms when referring to marriage or familial relationships. This prompted JPus to conduct a quick survey of the other states that we serve, asking what terminology was used. Vermont and New Hampshire allow couples to check a box indicating bride/groom/spouse, and only the term checked is on the license. Massachusetts uses gender neutral terms: Party A and Party B. At the time, Connecticut’s […]
Sign-on to Tell NH Lawmakers – End Child Marriage!
The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on SB359, a bill to end child marriage in the state. All New Hampshire residents are invited to sign onto JPus’ letter in support of the bill. Read JPus’ Letter to the Judiciary Committee urging the passage of this bill. Add your name to our list of supporters and sign onto JPus’ letter NH residents can also testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee: In-person on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 9:15, Room 100 of the State House. If you will be testifying, please let JPus know so we can coordinate […]
CT’s JP for a Day: What Happened
This is a blow-by-blow account of how the Justice of the Peace Association responded to proposed legislation in Connecticut, SB-396, JP for a Day, as reported by managing member, Loretta Jay. SB-396 JP for a Day It was late on Friday, March 2nd, when Barbara Jay received an email from Betsy Moukawsher, Groton, Connecticut’s Town Clerk, warning that a bill was introduced to the current legislative session. SB-396 said very simply that the Secretary of the State could appoint justices of the peace “to perform a single joining of persons in marriage”. The bill, coined JP for a Day, was […]
CT JP Appointments ~ Q&A
We’ve heard the complaints from JPs and Town Clerks about Connecticut’s JP appointment process and the lack of JP qualifications. As a result, last year the Justice of the Peace Association took action and performed extensive research. And then, last month we released our white paper with our findings. On Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 6PM, join me for a Zoom presentation and Q&A. We’ll talk about what we learned, what was done and what is next. This is an interactive session for JPs and Town Clerks. Q&A, March 30th at 6:00 PM The March 30, 2023 Q&A event has […]
NH Special Officiant Bill Died
A Long-Shot It was a long-shot, but we did it! The fight over the New Hampshire Special Marriage Officiant bill is over. Thank you to all the New Hampshire JPs who didn’t give up. Together, our emails, phone calls, signatures and testimony made a difference. Ultimately, the bill got stuck in conference and died. Read more to get a better understanding of what happened.
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NH House Testimony – 2024
The Justice of the Peace Association submitted written testimony, co-signed by 35 state justices of the peace, to the NH House in support of New Hampshire’s 2024 bill to end child marriage. This is a long-standing effort to hopefully end this human rights abuse taking place in the state. Related Links Follow our efforts to end child marriage in New Hampshire – since 2019! 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 […]
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