Passed by the House March 20, 1991

Yeas 98 Nays 0

Speaker of the

House of Representatives

Passed by the Senate April 19, 1991

Yeas 47 Nays 0

President of the Senate

Approved

Governor of the State of Washington

CERTIFICATE

I, Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2056 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

Chief Clerk

FILED

Secretary of State

State of Washington

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SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2056

_______________________________________________

AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

Passed Legislature - 1991 Regular Session

State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session

By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representative Braddock; by request of Department of Health).

Read first time March 6, 1991.

AN ACT Relating to vital statistics; amending RCW 70.58.104; adding new sections to chapter 70.58 RCW; and repealing RCW 70.58.200.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) To promote and maintain nation-wide uniformity in the system of vital statistics, the certificates required by this chapter or by the rules adopted under this chapter shall include, as a minimum, the items recommended by the federal agency responsible for national vital statistics.

(2) The state board of health by rule may require additional pertinent information relative to the birth and manner of delivery as it may deem necessary for statistical study. This information shall be placed in a confidential section of the birth certificate form and shall not be subject to the view of the public or for certification purposes except upon order of the court. The state board of health may eliminate from the forms items that it determines are not necessary for statistical study.

(3) Each certificate or other document required by this chapter shall be on a form or in a format prescribed by the state registrar.

(4) All vital records shall contain the data required for registration. No certificate may be held to be complete and correct that does not supply all items of information called for or that does not satisfactorily account for the omission of required items.

(5) Information required in certificates or documents authorized by this chapter may be filed and registered by photographic, electronic, or other means as prescribed by the state registrar.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The department is authorized to prescribe by rule the schedule and system for electronic and hard copy transmission of certificates and documents required by this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The department, in mutual agreement with a local health officer as defined in RCW 70.05.010, may authorize a local registrar to access the state-wide birth data base or death data base and to issue a certified copy of birth or death certificates from the respective state-wide electronic data bases. In such cases, the department may bill local registrars for only direct line charges associated with accessing birth and death data bases.

Sec. 4. RCW 70.58.104 and 1987 c 223 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The state registrar may prepare typewritten, photographic, electronic, or other reproductions of records of birth, death, fetal death, marriage, or decrees of divorce, annulment, or legal separation registered under 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. Such reproductions, when certified by the state registrar, shall be considered for all purposes the same as the original and shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.

(2) The department may authorize by regulation the disclosure of information contained in vital records for research purposes. All research proposals must be submitted to the department and must be reviewed and approved as to scientific merit and to ensure that confidentiality safeguards are provided in accordance with department policy.

(3) Local registrars may, upon request, furnish certified copies of the records of birth, death, and fetal death, subject to all provisions of state law applicable to the state registrar. ((Local registrars in health districts or departments that have within their jurisdiction 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 have a copy of the original certificate transmitted to the state registrar which was produced by a photographic or other exact reproduction method. Local registrars of all counties or districts may, upon request, furnish certified copies of the records of birth, death, and fetal death during the period that the original certificates are in their possession prior to transmittal of the original certificates to the state registrar. Certified copy forms used by local registrars furnishing certified copies while the original records are in their possession shall be supplied or approved by the state registrar and no other forms shall be used.))

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Sections 1 through 3 of this act are each added to chapter 70.58 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. RCW 70.58.200 and 1979 ex.s. c 162 s 2, 1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 42 s 39, 1969 ex.s. c 279 s 2, 1967 c 26 s 10, 1961 ex.s. c 5 s 15, & 1945 c 159 s 6 are each repealed.