relative to marriage registration forms and delayed certificates of marriage.

The bill expanded from 3 sections covering only advance worksheet completion and the delayed certificate fee to 13 sections that rewrite or amend nearly every provision in RSA 5-C, including definitions, forms, procedures, distribution, officiant duties, certified copies, false information, registrar duties, and public disclosure.

New paragraph II-a in RSA 5-C:41 creates a statutory name change mechanism upon marriage. Either party may retain their prior surname, adopt the other party's surname, use a hyphenated combination, or change their middle name to their prior surname. The name indicated on the worksheet and license becomes the sole legal name after marriage unless the change is for a fraudulent purpose. Other name changes require court approval.

All instances of 'bride and groom,' 'groom,' and 'bride' throughout the chapter are replaced with gender-neutral terms such as 'marriage applicants' and 'either party.' A new definition of 'marriage license' is added at RSA 5-C:1, XXII.

RSA 5-C:42, XIV now requires the clerk to make a notation on the worksheet when 90 days have passed without a completed certificate. If the certificate arrives within 6 months after expiration, the notation is removed and the certificate issued normally; if more than 6 months, the delayed certificate procedure applies.

RSA 5-C:52 now specifies eight categories of acceptable supporting evidence for a delayed certificate of marriage, including officiant affidavit, copy of original certificate, newspaper accounts, city or town report, divorce decree, wedding photos with notarized affidavit, other wedding party affidavits, and census bureau household reports.

RSA 5-C:49, VI now explicitly requires the officiant to report a marriage even if the applicants change their mind after the ceremony and ask the officiant not to report it.

The $25 delayed certificate filing fee is retained but moved into a rewritten section. The fee remains payable to and retained by the city or town clerk.

All section numbers were renumbered with the chapter prefix '296:' (e.g., '1' became '296:1', '2' became '296:2', through '13' becoming '296:13').

The fiscal note section, which stated the bill had a total fiscal impact of less than $10,000 per year from 2026 through 2029, was removed as is standard when a bill becomes chaptered law.

An approval date of July 10, 2026 and an effective date of September 08, 2026 were added at the end of the document.

New Section 13 adds two new statutory sections (RSA 458:51-b and RSA 458:51-c) to the bill, expanding its scope from marriage registration forms to also cover confidentiality of divorce records.

RSA 458:51-b applies only to uncontested divorce proceedings with no minor children involved. It does not apply to contested divorces, cases involving minor children, or cases with allegations of abuse, fraud, or misconduct affecting third parties.

Under RSA 458:51-b, financial affidavits, tax returns, property settlement agreements, and documents containing personal financial account numbers become confidential in eligible uncontested divorces. Financial settlement terms in decrees must be filed under seal or redacted from the public version.

Sealing or redaction of records under RSA 458:51-b requires the written request and consent of both parties to the divorce. The court must grant such a joint request unless it finds compelling public interest or that sealing would impair third-party rights or administration of justice.

RSA 458:51-c allows any person granted a divorce within 15 years prior to the effective date (January 1, 2027) to petition the court to seal or redact records. Upon joint request of both former spouses, the court shall order sealing unless compelling public interest or third-party rights are affected.

The effective date was split: the new divorce confidentiality provisions (Section 13) take effect January 1, 2027, while the marriage registration provisions take effect 60 days after passage. Previously the entire bill had a single 60-day effective date.

A court may authorize disclosure of confidential divorce records upon written motion finding a compelling public interest, that the request is narrowly tailored, and that no reasonable alternative exists to protect confidentiality.