vital
statistics; decentralization
SB 1303 retroactively allows for the electronic filing of birth certificates by a Class A registration district since December 31, 1996.
The director of the Department of Health Services serves as the state registrar of vital records and may designate local or county registrars throughout the state. Each county serves as a registration district unless the state registrar establishes smaller districts within the county. There are two categories of registration districts, Class A and Class B. Class A registration districts consist of counties with a population of at least 200,000, while a Class B district contains fewer than 200,000 persons.
Current law states that when a birth occurs in an institution, the person in charge of the institution or that person's designee is required to obtain the personal data, prepare the certificate, obtain the required signatures of the informant and attendant and file the certificate with the designated registrar.
Laws 1996, Chapter 251 allowed for the electronic filing of birth, death and fetal death certificates with a designated registrar. Some hospitals now transmit birth records electronically to the state registrar while other hospitals continue to physically transmit the records to the local or county registrars. Currently, a registration district may only issue certified copies of a vital record if the original record is in the custody by the registration district. SB 1303 allows a Class A registration district to use electronic filings to issue certified copies of birth certificates instead of requiring the county to have physical possession of the original certificate.