New York county clerks prepare for same-sex marriage

One week from today. From Auburn Pub.com: With same-sex marriage set to become legal in New York a week from today, city and town clerks in Cayuga County are preparing for the changes that come with the new law. The Marriage Equality Act was passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo June 24. And with the law going into effect 30 days from that historic vote, the state Department of Health has been holding training sessions with clerks from around the state to outline the changes and review the new marriage license form. Local city and town clerks have participated in these sessions. Sterling Town Clerk Lisa Cooper said the sessions were informative and provided an overview of the new forms. The main goal of the changes is making the marriage license form gender neutral, according to state Department of Health spokesman Jeffrey Gordon. Instead of “bride” and “groom” titles on the form, the new marriage license form will say “bride/groom/spouse.” It also changes the “mother” and “father” titles on the form to “mother or parent” and “father or parent.” Gordon said the training sessions with clerks discuss the amendments to the state’s Domestic Relations Law, when the new law takes effect, the waiting period for marriages and other aspects of the new law. Although the law goes into effect July 24, there is a 24-hour waiting period for all marriages in New York, so the earliest same-sex couples could have a marriage officially recognized is Monday, July 25. Couples could have the waiting period waived by a Supreme Court justice or a county court judge where one of the parties resides, according to the state Department of Health website.]]>