AN ACT Relating to county recordkeeping; and amending RCW 70.58.030 and 43.20A.630.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 18, chapter 83, Laws of 1907 as amended by section 6, chapter 5, Laws of 1961 ex. sess. and RCW 70.58.030 are each amended to read as follows:

The local registrar shall supply blank forms of certificates to such persons as require them. He shall carefully examine each certificate of birth, death, and fetal death when presented for record, and see that it has been made out in accordance with the provisions of law and the instructions of the state registrar. If any certificate of death is incomplete or unsatisfactory, he shall call attention to the defects in the return, and withhold issuing the burial-transit permit until it is corrected. If the certificate of death is properly executed and complete, he shall issue a burial-transit permit to the funeral director or person acting as such. If a certificate of a birth is incomplete, he shall immediately notify the informant, and require him to supply the missing items if they can be obtained. He shall sign his name as local registrar to each certificate filed in attest of the date of filing in his office. He shall make a record of each birth, death, and fetal death certificate registered by him in such manner as directed by the state registrar. He shall on or before the tenth day of each month, transmit to the state registrar all original certificates registered by him during the preceding month. If no births or no deaths occurred in any month, he shall, on the tenth day of the following month, report that fact to the state registrar, on a card provided for this purpose: PROVIDED, That in counties, and in cities of the first class, the county or city health officer may require the filing of two original certificates and may retain one of the duplicate original certificates as the county or city record.

Sec. 2. Section 43.20.090, chapter 8, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 11, chapter 16, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and RCW 43.20A.630 are each amended to read as follows:

The state registrar shall, upon request, furnish an applicant with a certified copy of the record of any birth, death, fetal death, marriage or decree of divorce, annulment or separate maintenance, registered under the provision of law, or that portion of the record of any birth which shows the child's full name, sex, date of birth, and date of filing of the certificate, for the making and certification of which he shall charge a fee of six dollars to be paid by the applicant: PROVIDED, That no fee shall be demanded or required for furnishing a certified copy of a birth, death, fetal death, marriage, divorce, annulment, or separate maintenance record for use in connection with a claim for compensation or pension pending before the veterans administration.

For any search of the files and the records when no certified copy is made, the state registrar shall be entitled to a fee of three dollars for each hour or fractional part of an hour employed in such search, to be paid by the applicant.

The state department of social and health services shall keep a true and correct account of all fees received and turn the same over to the state treasurer on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October.

Health officers ((in)) of counties, and of cities of the first class may, upon request, furnish certified copies of the records of birth, death, and fetal death, and shall charge the same fee as hereinabove provided, and shall be entitled to charge for searching of records when no certified copy is made the same fee as hereinabove provided. All such fees collected, except for two dollars of each six dollar fee for the issuance of a certified copy, shall be paid to the jurisdictional health department: PROVIDED, That health officers of counties and of cities of the first class may issue certified copies only if they have an original certificate in their possession at the time of issuance of a certified copy or a copy of the original certificate transmitted to the state registrar which was produced by a photographic or other exact reproduction method. Health officers of ((~~counties or~~)) districts may, upon request, furnish certified copies of the records of birth, death, and fetal death, and shall charge the same fee as hereinabove provided, during the period that the original certificates are in their possession prior to transmittal of the original certificates to the state registrar. All such fees collected, except for two dollars of each six dollar fee, shall be paid to the jurisdictional health department. Certified copy forms used by health officers furnishing certified copies while the original records are temporarily in their possession shall be supplied or approved by the state registrar and no other forms shall be used.

All health officers in cities and counties shall keep a true and correct account of all fees received under this section for the issuance of certified copies and shall turn two dollars of the fee over to the state treasurer on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October.

Two dollars of each fee imposed for the issuance of certified copies at both the state and local levels shall be held by the state treasurer in the death investigations' account established by RCW 43.79.445.