State raises fee on marriage certificates

Being born and dying have not become more costly in New Jersey, but proving birth or death -- or marriage, for that matter -- has. Starting Sunday, the state has made it more expensive for people who request death, birth, marriage or domestic partnership certificates from the Department of Health and Senior Services. Those documents will cost $25, up from $4, the fee for more than 30 years. The change is one of several new state laws in effect for the New Year, including one aimed at making it harder for identity thieves to access personal credit reports.