| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 18-A MRSA §1-701, as amended by PL 1997, c. 18, §2 and | | affected by §6, is further amended by adding at the end a new | | paragraph to read: |
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| | | If the person shows that the person is or was a victim of | | domestic abuse by the person's spouse, the judge may change the | | person's name without providing notice to the spouse. |
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| | | This bill gives the probate court judge discretion concerning | | whom to notify when a person petitions the court for a name | | change. If the person shows that the person is or was a victim | | of domestic abuse by the person's spouse, the judge is not | | required to notify the spouse of the name change. |
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