The Maryland House of Delegates’ Judiciary Committee on Jan. 29 voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would waive the requirement to publish legal name change petitions.
House Bill 39, sponsored by state Del. Emily Shetty (D-Montgomery County), seeks to waive the current state requirement for notices of name changes to be published “in a newspaper of general circulation” in the county where the petitioner resides unless waived by the court.
At a Jan. 15 hearing, FreeState Justice Legal Director CP Hoffman stated there is currently an inconsistency between courts in approving or denying the requests and this bill would “create a level floor.” Trans Maryland Executive Director Lee Blinder also spoke of the challenges and concerns