AB 64 — Vital records.

Summary

(1) Existing law prescribes the duties of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics (State Registrar) and local registrars of births and deaths with respect to the registration of certificates of live birth, fetal death, or death, and marriage licenses. Existing law requires the State Registrar to prescribe and furnish all record forms for use in carrying out the provisions governing vital records and prohibits the use of any record form or format other than those prescribed by the State Registrar. Existing law requires every live birth, fetal death, death, and marriage that occurs in the state to be registered with the local registrar. Existing law requires certificates of live birth, fetal death, or death, and a marriage license to include specified information, such as the full name of the child on a certificate of live birth and the full names of the parties to be married on a marriage license. Existing law also requires the county clerk to issue a confidential marriage license, as specified, on a form prescribed by the State Registrar. This bill would require, commencing no earlier than 2 years after an appropriation of funds by the Legislature, the State Registrar to require the use of a diacritical mark on an English letter within a name field to be properly recorded, when applicable, on a certificate of live birth, fetal death, death, marriage license and certificate, or confidential marriage license and certificate, and would require the use of a diacritical mark to be deemed an acceptable entry by the State Registrar. The bill would provide that the absence or presence of a diacritical mark on a certificate of live birth, fetal death, or death, or a marriage license and certificate or confidential marriage license and certificate does not render the document invalid nor affect any constructive notice imparted by proper recordation of the document. The bill would authorize the State Registrar to develop a list of acceptable diacritical marks for use on a certificate of live birth, fetal death, or death, or a marriage license and certificate or confidential marriage license and certificate through all-county letters or similar instructions from the State Registrar without taking further regulatory actions. The bill would authorize the State Registrar to remove any diacritical marks on the birth, fetal death, death, and marriage license and certificate data before furnishing the vital statistics to a federal, state, or local government agency. The bill would authorize, beginning July 1, 2026, if a name is not accurately recorded because of the absence of a diacritical mark on an English letter in any certificate of live birth, fetal death, death, or marriage already registered, the person asserting the omission, or the person's conservator, or if a minor, the person's parent or guardian, to make an affidavit under oath, as specified, stating the changes necessary to make the record correct. The bill would require the affidavit to be supported by the affidavit of one other person having knowledge of the facts and be filed with the State Registrar. The bill would require the State Registrar to, review the request and, if the request is accompanied with the payment of a specified fee, to issue an amendment to any certificate of live birth, fetal death, death, or marriage with the accurate name identified in the request. The bill would also authorize, if a name field of either of the parties married or their parents is not accurately recorded because of the absence of a diacritical mark on an English letter on any confidential license and certificate of marriage already registered, the party asserting the omission to make an affidavit, under oath, stating the changes necessary to make the record correct and file it with the county clerk. The bill would authorize the county clerk to charge a fee, not to exceed the amount of the fee for any other amended confidential marriage license and certificate issued by the county clerk and not to exceed the reasonable cost to provide the amended marriage license and certificate. The bill would require the county clerk to review the amendment for acceptance for filing, and if accepted, file the amendment and note the fact of the amendment, with its date, on the otherwise unaltered original confidential license and certificate of marriage. By requiring the affidavit to be under oath, the bill would expand the crime of perjury, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. By increasing duties on county clerks, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the collection of specified fees for certified copies of a fetal death record, death record, a birth certificate, marriage record, or marriage dissolution record. Existing law requires all applicants for certified copies of the above-described records to pay an additional fee of $3 to be collected by the State Registrar, the local registrar, county recorder, or county clerk, as appropriate. This bill would increase the additional fee charged for certified copies of the above-described records to $5. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 10/12/25 - Chaptered Current pdf October 12, 2025
• Enrolled 09/12/25 - Enrolled pdf September 12, 2025
• Amended 09/05/25 - Amended Senate pdf September 05, 2025
• Amended 09/02/25 - Amended Senate pdf September 02, 2025
• Amended 06/23/25 - Amended Senate pdf June 23, 2025
• Amended 03/18/25 - Amended Assembly pdf March 18, 2025
• Introduced 12/03/24 - Introduced pdf December 03, 2024
• AB64 View text html

Action History

1. October 12, 2025

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 662, Statutes of 2025.

2. October 12, 2025

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 22, 2025

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

4. September 10, 2025

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 3192.).

5. September 09, 2025

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

6. September 09, 2025

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2737.).

7. September 08, 2025

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. September 05, 2025

   Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

9. September 03, 2025

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

10. September 02, 2025

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

11. August 29, 2025

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).

12. August 29, 2025

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

13. July 07, 2025

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

14. June 23, 2025

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

15. June 19, 2025

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 18).

16. June 11, 2025

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

17. May 29, 2025

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

18. May 29, 2025

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 1778.)

19. May 27, 2025

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

20. May 23, 2025

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).

21. April 09, 2025

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

22. March 26, 2025

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

23. March 19, 2025

    Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

24. March 18, 2025

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.

25. February 03, 2025

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

26. January 06, 2025

    Read first time.

27. December 04, 2024

    From printer. May be heard in committee January 3.

28. December 03, 2024

    Introduced. To print.

Sponsors

• Blanca Pacheco · Primary

Votes

Subjects