California lawmakers are considering legislation that would give parents the ability to use accents, tildes, and umlauts on birth certificates.
The use of accents was not permitted on state records following the passage of Proposition 63 in 1986. Voters approved the proposition and declared English as the official language of the State of California.
If approved, AB 82 would require the State Registrar to require the use of a diacritical mark on an English letter to be properly recorded, when applicable, on a certificate of live birth, fetal death, or death, and a marriage license.
AB82 was approved in the Assembly and is up for discussion in the state Senate.
