CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5545

Chapter 241, Laws of 2003

58th Legislature
2003 Regular Session



VITAL RECORDS--COPY FEES



EFFECTIVE DATE: 7/27/03

Passed by the Senate April 26, 2003
  YEAS 44   NAYS 0

BRAD OWEN
________________________________________    
President of the Senate
Passed by the House April 24, 2003
  YEAS 77   NAYS 20

FRANK CHOPP
________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


 
CERTIFICATE

I, Milton H. Doumit, Jr., Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5545 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

MILTON H. DOUMIT JR.
________________________________________    
Secretary
Approved May 12, 2003.








GARY LOCKE
________________________________________    
Governor of the State of Washington
 
FILED
May 12, 2003 - 4:20 p.m.







Secretary of State
State of Washington


_____________________________________________ 

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5545
_____________________________________________

AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

Passed Legislature - 2003 Regular Session
State of Washington58th Legislature2003 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Esser, Reardon, Poulsen, Sheahan and Winsley; by request of Department of Health)

READ FIRST TIME 04/03/03.   



     AN ACT Relating to fees for certified copies of vital records; and amending RCW 70.58.107.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 70.58.107 and 1997 c 223 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     The department of health shall charge a fee of ((thirteen)) seventeen dollars for certified copies of records and for copies or information provided for research, statistical, or administrative purposes, and eight dollars for a search of the files or records when no copy is made. The department shall prescribe by regulation fees to be paid for preparing sealed files and for opening sealed files.
     No fee may be demanded or required for furnishing certified copies of a birth, death, fetal death, marriage, divorce, annulment, or legal separation record for use in connection with a claim for compensation or pension pending before the veterans administration.
     The department shall keep a true and correct account of all fees received and turn the fees over to the state treasurer on a weekly basis.
     Local registrars shall charge the same fees as the state as hereinabove provided and as prescribed by department regulation((, except that local registrars shall charge thirteen dollars for the first copy of a death certificate and eight dollars for each additional copy of the same death certificate when the additional copies are ordered at the same time as the first copy)) except in cases where payment is made by credit card, charge card, debit card, smart card, stored value card, federal wire, automatic clearinghouse system, or other electronic communication. Payment by these electronic methods may be subject to an additional fee consistent with the requirements established by RCW 36.29.190. All such fees collected, except for ((five)) seven dollars of each fee collected for the issuance of ((a certified copy)) birth certificates and first copies of death certificates and fourteen dollars of each fee collected for additional copies of the same death certificate ordered at the same time as the first copy, shall be paid to the jurisdictional health department.
     All local registrars 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 ((five)) seven dollars of the fees collected for birth certificates and first copies of death certificates and fourteen dollars of the fee collected for additional copies of death certificates over to the state treasurer on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October. All but five dollars of the fees turned over to the state treasurer by local registrars shall be paid to the department of health for the purpose of developing and maintaining the state vital records systems, including a web-based electronic death registration system.
     Five dollars of each fee imposed for the issuance of certified copies, except for copies suitable for display issued under RCW 70.58.085, 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.


         Passed by the Senate April 26, 2003.
         Passed by the House April 24, 2003.
         Approved by the Governor May 12, 2003.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 12, 2003.