§ 23. Supervision of and inspection of town and city clerks' records
by state commissioner of health. The registration and recording of all
marriages outside the city of New York shall be under the supervision of
the state commissioner of health. The commissioner, either personally or
by an accredited representative, may at any time inspect the record and
index of marriage licenses issued by any town or city clerk and
promulgate rules and regulations for insuring complete registration.
When he shall deem it necessary, he shall report cases of violation of
any of the provisions of this article to the district attorney of the
county, with a statement of the facts and circumstances; and when any
such case is reported to him by the state commissioner of health, the
prosecuting attorney shall forthwith initiate and promptly follow up the
necessary court proceedings against the person or persons responsible
for the alleged violation of law. Upon request of the state commissioner
of health, the attorney-general shall assist in the enforcement of the
provisions of this article.