HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESHB 1331

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Nealey, Rayburn, D. Sommers and Chandler)

Revising provisions for transmittal of vital statistics registrations.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (13)

      Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Beck, Butterfield, Dorn, Ferguson, Hine, Jones, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley, Rayburn and Zellinsky.

House Staff:Steve Lundin (786-7127)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 8, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Local registrars of vital documents (i.e. local health officers) are authorized to issue official birth, death and fatal death certificates.

On or before the tenth day of each month local registrars are required to forward to the state registrar the original of these certificates that were so registered in the preceding month.  The health officer of a first-class city can require two original certificates to be filed and may retain one of the duplicate original certificates as the city record.

Certified copies of these certificates can be issued by the local registrar while the original is in the registrar's possession. Certified copies of these original certificates can be issued by the state registrar.

SUMMARY:

Original birth and death certificates must be transmitted to the state registrar no less than 25 days, nor more than 40 days, after the event.  However, when requested by the state registrar the original certificate shall be transferred immediately to the state registrar.

Local registrars in counties in which a first-class city or a city of 20,000 or more population is located can retain an exact copy of an original certificate and issue certified copies of the exact copy.

Fees imposed for heirloom birth certificates do not include a three-dollar amount to be placed into the death investigations account.

A corrected certified copy of a death certificate shall be issued at no cost if a certified copy of a death certificate has been issued containing information that differs from information on the original death certificate.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Fred Saeger, Washington Association of County Officials.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Sharon George, Dept. Social and Health Services.  (No one testified against the substitute bill.)

House Committee - Testimony For:    This clarifies the law.  This allows original certificates to be held longer at the local level so certified copies can be issued for a longer period.  This retains the fees for heirloom certificates used for the children's street fund, after issue expenses are reimbursed.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.