Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §651, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 537, §12 and affected by §62, is further amended to read:

2. Application. The parties wishing to record notice of their intentions of marriage shall submit an application for recording notice of their intentions of marriage. If the parties wish to create a covenant marriage, the application must include the declaration of intent for a covenant marriage as provided in section 671. The application must include a signed certification that the information recorded on the application is correct and that the applicant is free to marry according to the laws of this State. The applicant's signature must be acknowledged before an official authorized to take oaths. Applications recording notice of intentions to marry must be open for public inspection in the office of the clerk. When the application is submitted, the applicant shall provide the clerk with the social security numbers of the parties. The application must include a statement that the social security numbers of the parties have been provided to the clerk. The clerk shall record the social security numbers provided by each applicant. The record of the social security numbers is confidential and is not open for public inspection.

Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA c. 23, sub-c. I-A is enacted to read:

SUBCHAPTER I-A

COVENANT MARRIAGE

§671.__Covenant marriage; intent; conditions to create

1.__Covenant marriage.__A covenant marriage is a marriage entered into by one male and one female who understand and agree that the marriage between them is a lifelong relationship.__ Parties to a covenant marriage have received counseling emphasizing the nature and purposes of marriage and the responsibilities of marriage.__Only when there has been a complete and total breach of the marital covenant commitment may the nonbreaching party seek a declaration that the marriage is no longer legally recognized.

2.__Creating a covenant marriage.__A man and woman may contract a covenant marriage by declaring their intent to do so on their application for a marriage license, as provided in section 651, and executing a declaration of intent to contract a covenant marriage, as provided in section 672.__The application for a marriage license and the declaration of intent must be filed with the municipal clerk who issues the marriage license.