Section 90-G - Marriage officiant license; term of license; renewal of license1.Appointment and renewal. The Secretary of State may license and renew a license of a marriage officiant who: A. Is 18 years of age or older; [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]B. Is a resident of this State; and [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]C. Demonstrates a proficiency in the English language. [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).] [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]
2.Term. A license issued under this section is for a term of 7 years. [RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §4(COR).]
3.Rules. The Secretary of State shall adopt rules relating to the licensing of marriage officiants. The rules must include criteria and a procedure to be applied by the Secretary of State in licensing and renewal. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]
4. Notice of expiration of license. The Secretary of State shall provide notice to the licensee of the expiration of a marriage officiant license 30 days prior to the expiration date. The notice must be in a form or format as determined by rule by the Secretary of State. The failure of a licensee to receive a notice under this subsection does not affect the expiration date of the license. [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]
5. Grounds for denial, revocation, suspension or nonrenewal. The Secretary of State may, upon notice and an opportunity for hearing pursuant to chapter 375, subchapter 5, deny an application under this section or suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a license issued under this section upon a determination that the applicant or licensee: A. Does not meet the requirements of subsection 1; [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]B. Has failed to comply with any requirement applicable to a marriage officiant set forth in Title 19-A, chapter 23; or [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]C. Has failed to comply with rules adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to this section. [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).] [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]
6.Marriage officiant license. The Secretary of State shall issue a marriage officiant license to every notary public commissioned for the equivalent term of the notary public's commission, unless the notary public declines to have the marriage officiant license by providing written notice to the Secretary of State on a form designed by the Secretary of State. [2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §2(NEW); 2021, c. 651, Pt. B, §7(AFF).]
Added by 2022, c. 651,§ B-2, eff. 7/1/2023.