Vital records: diacritical marks.

Assembly Member Pacheco's vital records legislation mandates the inclusion of diacritical marks in names on California birth, death, marriage, and other official certificates, addressing a longstanding gap in how names with accents, tildes, and similar markings are recorded in state documents.

The bill requires the State Registrar to properly record diacritical marks on English letters within names on certificates of live birth, death, fetal death, marriage licenses, and confidential marriage certificates once funds are appropriated by the Legislature. While the absence of these marks would not invalidate existing documents, the legislation creates a process for individuals to correct records where diacritical marks were previously omitted. Those seeking corrections can submit written requests to the State Registrar along with required fees to obtain updated certificates reflecting the accurate spelling of their names.

For confidential marriage records specifically, parties may file sworn affidavits with county clerks to add missing diacritical marks. The bill directs clerks to review these amendments and, if accepted, replace the original certificates with corrected versions that do not indicate they were amended. This maintains the confidential nature of these records while ensuring names are recorded accurately. The legislation defines diacritical marks to include accents, tildes, graves, umlauts, and cedillas, though this list is not exhaustive.