SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 1264

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Nealey, Haugen, Ferguson, McLean, Horn, Cooper and Moyer)

Changing provisions relating to local registrars.

House Committe on Local Government

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

Senate Hearing Date(s):March 20, 1989; March 21, 1989; February 14, 1990

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chairman; Thorsness, Vice Chairman; DeJarnatt, Patrick.

Senate Staff:Barbara Howard (786-7410)

                  February 14, 1990

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS, FEBRUARY 14, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Local registrars of vital documents (local health officers) must verify and record birth, death and fetal death certificates as required by the State Registrar (the Secretary of the Department of Health).

On or before the tenth of each month local registrars are required to forward to the State Registrar all original certificates that were 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 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.  Thereafter, certified copies of these certificates are obtained from the State Registrar.  It has been suggested that it would be more convenient if certified copies were regularly obtainable from the local registrar.

SUMMARY:

Local registrars must transmit all original death and fetal death certificates to the State Registrar no less than 30 days, nor more than 60 days, after the certificates are recorded.  On or before the fifteenth day and the last day of each month, local registrars must transmit all original birth certificates that have not been transmitted previously.  When the State Registrar requests the transfer of a certificate, the local registrar must transmit the record immediately.

Local registrars in counties in which a first-class city or a city with a population of 27,000 or more is located may retain an exact copy of the original birth, death, or fetal death certificate and make certified copies.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      available

Senate Committee - Testified: No one