ARIZONA STATE SENATE

RESEARCH STAFF

AMBER DÍAZ

LEGISLATIVE INTERN

JASON BEZOZO

SENIOR LEGISLATIVE

RESEARCH ANALYST

HEALTH COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 542-3171

Facsimile: (602) 542-7833

TO: MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

HEALTH COMMITTEE

DATE: March 1, 2002

SUBJECT: Strike Everything Amendment to S.B. 1145 – state hospital

Purpose

Appropriates 40 percent of monies collected from vital records fees to the Department of Health Services (DHS) to cover the costs of a vital records automation system.

Background

The office of vital records (OVR) in DHS is responsible for issuing certified copies of vital records, including birth and death certificates for events that occurred in Arizona. Pima and Maricopa counties are authorized to sell these certificates for events occurring within those counties, but certificates for all other counties must be obtained directly from the OVR. According to DHS, the OVR currently uses an electronic system for birth certificates; however, this system is no longer technologically up-to-date and is difficult to maintain. The death certificate system consists of paper certificates, which requires filing space and cannot be integrated with the birth certificate system.

DHS wishes to update and streamline the OVR’s filing system through the purchase of a new internet-based system that would consolidate the birth and death certificate files and allow counties to directly input certificate information. According to the OVR, the internet-based system would facilitate corrections to certificates, ensure compliance with federal information requirements, reduce errors and save labor, time and storage space. To achieve this, DHS is requesting the authority to raise vital records fees and use the resulting monies to purchase and maintain the automated, electronic system. The strike-everything amendment to S.B. 1145 appropriates 40 percent of monies collected from vital records fees to the vital records electronic systems fund for DHS to use to cover costs associated with the vital records automation system.

According to DHS, the cost of the new equipment is $1 million with ongoing maintenance costs of at least $100,000 per year.

Provisions

1. Requires the state registrar to deposit 40 percent of monies collected from fees for vital records in the vital records electronic systems fund and 60 percent of these fees in the state general fund.

2. Establishes the vital records electronic systems fund (fund).

3. Requires DHS to administer the fund and use monies in the fund for vital records automation system costs.

4. Specifies fund monies are continuously appropriated, nonreverting and nonlapsing.

5. Requires the Treasurer to invest and divest fund monies.

6. Specifies monies earned from investment are credited to the fund.

7. Exempts DHS from the rule making requirements for one year.

8. Makes technical changes.

9. Provides for a general effective date.

AD/JB/jas