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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 18, 2022 10:30 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Dan Frankel and Rep. Joe Webster |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Administrative Name Change Reform |
| In the near future, we will introduce legislation to replace the antiquated judicial name change process in Pennsylvania with a simple administrative process that improves efficiency while ensuring due process for all interested parties. The current process for legally changing one’s name is expensive, time-consuming, and fraught with danger for members of Pennsylvania’s transgender community. By replacing our current judicial name change process with an administrative one, Pennsylvanians will have a single office and streamlined process to employ. This new statute would establish separate but similar processes for adult and minor applicants. Court involvement would only be necessary for specific circumstances, such as an inability to obtain proper identity establishing documents, or in the event of a legitimate objection by a parent who currently has parental rights. All documents created would be automatically sealed to protect the identity of the applicant. Further, this administrative process will eliminate several problematic, unnecessary, and discriminatory components of our current name change process such as advertising requirements. Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation to update Pennsylvania’s name change process. |