Letter of Support to End Child Marriage The Justice of the Peace Association submitted a letter of support to the House Judiciary Committee for H148, a bill to end child marriage in Vermont. Related Links Vermont’s child marriage history and legislative activity See the learning objectives and link to he recording of our Vermont workshop about child marriage Take JPus’ training for marriage officiants about child and forced marriage. Read about JPus’ efforts to end child marriage in all of the states we serve. Learn about JPus members’ vote to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage. Learn more about our partners, Unchained at Last and Tahirih Justice Center, […]

In the spring of 2019, the Justice of the Peace Association persisted in its opposition to the New Hampshire House Bill 295-FN-A, an act establishing a special marriage officiant license. Despite the odds, the bill eventually died in conference. Following is what transpired. It was early January 2019 when New Hampshire Justice of the Peace Cynthia Dumont called JPus to alert us to HB 295-FN-A. This bill, if passed, would temporarily authorize an individual to solemnize a marriage in the state. JPus members in Massachusetts and Vermont made us aware of how amateur officiants have negatively impacted their business. The town clerks […]

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 […]

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 […]

Make new connections and nurture opportunities! Mix and mingle with your fellow JPs and town clerks. We hope to see you at our Holiday Networking Event   **UPDATE: Event at Bertucci’s in Waltham, MA has been rescheduled. Stay-tuned for new date.**   Getting together with our colleagues creates new opportunities and connections – and it’s fun! JPs, town clerks and other stakeholders are all invited to attend. This will be a terrific opportunity to meet and connect with our fellow officiants, municipal and state leaders on a social level. Let’s build upon our shared interests and find new ones. Getting to know some of […]