H-3325.2  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2766

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Orcutt, Darneille, Roach, Dickerson, Pearson, Hatfield, Esser, Lantz, Ahern, Morell, Schoesler, Dunn, Talcott, Clements, Schindler, Holmquist, Boldt, Nixon, Schmidt, Chase, Mielke, Pflug, Linville, Benson, Kenney, Woods and Campbell

Read first time 01/28/2002.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Making confidential social security numbers on death certificates.

    AN ACT Relating to social security numbers on certificates of death; and amending RCW 70.58.055.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.58.055 and 1997 c 58 s 948 are each amended to read as follows:

    (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 including social security numbers.  However, if a social security number is included on a certificate of death, it shall be placed in a confidential section of the certificate form and shall not be subject to the view of the public, except that the personal representative of the estate of the deceased or the surviving spouse of the deceased may obtain the confidential section with the certificate and may authorize the release of the confidential section with the certificate.

    (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.

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