Marriage licenses: vital records: fees: domestic violence.

Existing law requires the collection of fees for issuing marriage licenses and for providing certified copies of vital records, including marriage certificates, birth certificates, fetal death records, and death records. Existing law provides for the establishment of county domestic violence program special funds for the purpose of funding local domestic violence programs. Certain fees payable at the time a marriage license or a certified copy of any of the above vital records is issued may be collected by the county clerks for deposit into these funds. Existing law authorizes the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, until January 1, 2010, upon making certain findings and declarations, to authorize an increase in the fees for marriage licenses and confidential marriage licenses, up to a maximum increase of $2. Existing law authorizes the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and the City Council of the City of Berkeley, upon making certain findings and declarations, to authorize an increase in the fees for certified copies of certain vital records, up to a maximum increase of $2. Existing law authorizes those governmental entities to make further increases in those fees each year, as specified. Existing law requires these fees to be allocated for purposes relating to domestic violence prevention, intervention, and prosecution. This bill would extend the operation of those provisions indefinitely. Existing law requires the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the City Council of the City of Berkeley to submit to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, by July 1, 2009, reports regarding the above fee increases, as specified. This bill would, instead, require the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the City Council of the City of Berkeley, if they elect to increase fees pursuant to the above-described provisions, to submit preliminary reports by July 1, 2009, and final reports by July 1, 2014. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2015. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive related changes.