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Birth Certificate Modernization Act advances; sponsors say change will reduce administrative barriers for transgender people and parents
Summary
House Bill 13 68 would streamline the process for amending gender markers and parent names on Maryland birth certificates; sponsors and a broad coalition of advocates said the change would reduce burdens and safety risks for transgender and nonbinary Marylanders, while one opponent cited biological definitions of sex as a concern.
Delegate Ashanti Martinez presented House Bill 13 68, the “Birth Certificate Modernization Act,” which would simplify procedures for issuing new birth certificates when an individual changes their sex designation and would allow parents who legally change their names to have their child's birth certificate reflect that change except in certain marriage/divorce cases.
The bill’s sponsor said the proposal would remove medically unnecessary documentation requirements and align birth-certificate practice with the Motor Vehicle Administration's existing approach to gender markers (male, female, X). The sponsor said the measure is supported by a broad set of organizations, including the Maryland Department of Health and a coalition of advocacy groups, labor and legal associations.
Multiple witnesses, including young advocates, family members and organizational representatives, testified in favor. Cooper Sweetsch, a 14‑year‑old student, and several advocacy organizations described the bill as a dignity and safety measure that will reduce administrative friction for transgender, nonbinary and gender‑expansive people. Trans Maryland representatives explained the law grew from constituent cases in which parents faced inconsistent agency procedures and difficult, duplicative steps to update a child’s birth certificate.
The Maryland Department of Health and the governor were noted in testimony as supporters; the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs and Social Work Advocates for Social Change also backed the bill. Testimony described that existing processes were uneven across offices and sometimes required multiple medical or legal documents, causing delay and potential exposure to discrimination.
An unfavorable witness, Jeff Trimbath of the Maryland Family Institute, opposed the measure, arguing in the hearing that birth certificates record objective biological facts and that permitting “unspecified” or “other” designations would cause confusion; committee members questioned some premises in that testimony and noted birth certificates are used as identity documents in limited contexts such as school enrollment and benefits administration. Committee members asked clarifying questions about parentage language and whether the bill removes all gendered parent language; the sponsor said she had worked with drafters to preserve definitions such as mother, father and birthing parent and to ensure parents who change their name for safety or identity reasons can have children’s records reflect the new name.
Supporters urged a favorable report. No committee vote is recorded in the transcript for HB 13 68; the hearing concluded with further discussion and several witnesses describing personal experiences and the administrative burden the bill seeks to reduce.
