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Committee approves bill letting county clerks correct marriage records by affidavit
Summary
House Bill 462 would let county clerks correct errors or omissions on marriage applications or licenses via affidavit rather than requiring circuit court action; committee passed the bill 19-0.
The House State Government Committee voted to pass House Bill 462, a bill that authorizes county clerks to correct marriage applications or marriage licenses by affidavit without requiring individuals to file a lawsuit in circuit court.
Proponents told the committee the change would streamline corrections for common errors — such as name abbreviations, nicknames or incomplete entries — that currently force residents into time-consuming and sometimes costly court proceedings to obtain a certified corrected record.
Kenton County Clerk Gabrielle Salmi told the committee many constituents come to the clerk’s office seeking corrections to older marriage records and are told to pursue circuit court proceedings. "There's a lot of errors and omissions in marriage license[s]," Salmi said, describing examples including nicknames and alternate legal names that complicate access to Social Security benefits or Real ID documentation. Under the proposed law, a clerk could accept an affidavit and issue a corrected, certified license while still preserving required statistical data for vital records.
Representative Stephanie Dietz, sponsor, said the measure is a practical fix for a problem county clerks encounter and that the bill preserves the integrity of vital statistics while reducing time and expense for constituents.
The committee passed House Bill 462 with a favorable expression on a roll call vote of 19-0.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 462 — Passed by committee, favorable, vote 19-0.
If enacted, the bill would permit clerks statewide to provide amended certified marriage records after receiving an affidavit showing an error or omission; the transcript recorded no additional implementation timeline.
