AB 2528, as introduced, Skinner. Certificates of live birth: diacritical marks.
Existing law requires that each live birth, fetal death, death, and marriage that occurs in the state be registered. Existing law charges the State Registrar with the execution of provisions regulating these and other vital records. Existing law requires the registrar to prescribe and furnish all record forms for use in carrying out those purposes, or to prescribe the format, quality, and content of forms electronically produced in each county for those purposes, and provides that no record forms or formats other than those prescribed by the registrar may be used.
This bill would require the State Registrar to ensure that diacritical marks on English letters are properly recorded on the certificate of live birth, including, but not limited to, accents, tildes, graves, umlauts, and cedillas. The bill would require the registrar to develop procedures to include other reasonable requests relating to names on certificates of live birth. The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature relative to the use of diacritical marks on certificates of live birth.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares the following:
2(a) A diacritical mark is used in the Latin script to change the
3sound of a letter to which it is added and is used to distinguish the
4meaning of the words in which those letters appear.
5(b) These changes are significant, especially when considering
6the proper pronunciation and meaning of a person’s name.
7(c) The act of naming a child is often a significant moment for
8a family, and diacritical marks in a family name convey importance
9both in meaning and familial or cultural traditions.
10(d) It is
in the best interest of the state to make reasonable
11accommodations to parents’ wishes when providing their child
12with a legal name, including the wish to pass on familial or
13culturally significant spellings and meanings.
Section 102425.5 is added to the Health and Safety
15Code, to read:
The State Registrar shall ensure that diacritical marks
17on English letters are properly recorded on the certificate of live
18birth, including, but not limited to, accents, tildes, graves, umlauts,
19and cedillas. The registrar shall develop procedures to include
20other reasonable requests relating to names on certificates of live
21birth.
O
99