122.066 - Database of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage; maintenance of database by Secretary of State; entry of certain information into database by county clerk; approval
122.066 Database of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage; maintenance of database by Secretary of State; entry of certain information into database by county clerk; approval of application for certificate; validity of certificate; revocation of authority to solemnize marriage.
1. The Secretary of State shall establish and maintain a statewide database of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage. The database must:
(a) Serve as the official list of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage approved in this State;
(b) Provide for a single method of storing and managing the official list;
(c) Be a uniform, centralized and interactive database;
(d) Be electronically secure and accessible to each county clerk in this State;
(e) Contain the name, mailing address and other pertinent information of each minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage as prescribed by the Secretary of State; and
(f) Include a unique identifier assigned by the Secretary of State to each minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage.
2. If the county clerk approves an application for a certificate of permission to perform marriages, the county clerk shall:
(a) Enter all information contained in the application into the electronic statewide database of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage maintained by the Secretary of State not later than 10 days after the certificate of permission to perform marriages is approved by the county clerk; and
(b) Provide to the Secretary of State all information related to the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage pursuant to paragraph (e) of subsection 1.
3. Upon approval of an application pursuant to subsection 2, the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage:
(a) Shall comply with the laws of this State governing the solemnization of marriage and conduct of ministers or other persons authorized to solemnize a marriage;
(b) Is subject to further review or investigation by the county clerk to ensure that he or she continues to meet the statutory requirements for a person authorized to solemnize a marriage; and
(c) Shall provide the county clerk with any changes to his or her status or information, including, without limitation, the address or telephone number of the church or religious organization or any other information pertaining to certification.
4. A certificate of permission is valid until the county clerk has received an affidavit of revocation of authority to solemnize marriages pursuant to NRS 122.0665.
5. An affidavit of revocation of authority to solemnize marriages that is received pursuant to subsection 4 must be sent to the county clerk within 5 days after the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage ceased to be a member of the church or religious organization in good standing or ceased to be a minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage for the church or religious organization.
6. If the county clerk in the county where the certificate of permission was issued has reason to believe that the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage is no longer in good standing within his or her church or religious organization, or that he or she is no longer a minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage, or that such church or religious organization no longer exists, the county clerk may require satisfactory proof of the good standing of the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage. If such proof is not presented within 15 days, the county clerk shall revoke the certificate of permission by amending the electronic record of the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage in the statewide database pursuant to subsection 1.
7. If any minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage to whom a certificate of permission has been issued severs ties with his or her church or religious organization or moves from the county in which his or her certificate was issued, the certificate shall expire immediately upon such severance or move, and the church or religious organization shall, within 5 days after the severance or move, file an affidavit of revocation of authority to solemnize marriages pursuant to NRS 122.0665. If the minister or other person authorized to solemnize a marriage voluntarily advises the county clerk of the county in which his or her certificate was issued of his or her severance with his or her church or religious organization, or that he or she has moved from the county, the certificate shall expire immediately upon such severance or move without any notification to the county clerk by the church or religious organization.
8. The Secretary of State may adopt regulations concerning the creation and administration of the statewide database. This section does not prohibit the Secretary of State from making the database publicly accessible for the purpose of viewing ministers or other persons who are authorized to solemnize a marriage in this State.
(Added to NRS by 1967, 1290; A 1969, 92; 1971, 1550; 2009, 728)