HOUSE BILL REPORT

SB 6556

BYSenators Wojahn, Kiskaddon, Stratton and Johnson

Specifying that fees for birth certificates suitable for display be used for the children's trust fund.

House Committe on Human Services

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives Brekke, Chair; Scott, Vice Chair; Anderson, Leonard, Moyer, Padden, H. Sommers, Sutherland and Winsley.

House Staff:Jean Wessman (786-7132)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 29, 1988

BACKGROUND:

In 1987 the State Registrar was permitted to issue "heirloom" birth certificates at the price of twenty-five dollars. The money collected from these certificates was to be passed on to the Washington State Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect to be used for the purposes of the children's trust fund.  This fund is intended to finance child abuse and neglect prevention programs.

A new section of the vital statistics statute passed in 1987 requires three dollars of the fee imposed for the issuance of each certified copy of a vital statistics record be held by the State Treasurer for the death investigations account.

SUMMARY:

Language is added to RCW 70.58.107 to exempt "heirloom" birth certificates from those certified copies of vital statistics records subject to the three dollars charge intended to fund the death investigations account.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Senator Wojahn, Prime Sponsor; Kip Tokuda, Executive Director, Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; and Ron Wagner, Washington State Medical Association.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Persons who obtain "heirloom" birth certificates want the fee to be used for child abuse and neglect prevention programs.  Since these birth certificates are a special case, they should be exempt from the three dollar fee.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.