Amended in Senate March 29, 2016

Amended in Assembly January 7, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1546

Introduced by Assembly Member Olsen

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Daly and Ting)

September 9, 2015

An act to begin insert amend Sections 102230 and 103526.5 of, and to end insert add Section 103526.6 begin delete to end delete begin insert to, end insert the Health and Safety Code, relating to vital records, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1546, as amended, Olsen. Vital records.

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Existing law requires the State Registrar to administer the registration of births, deaths, fetal deaths, and marriages. Existing law requires the State Registrar to arrange and permanently preserve the certificates in a systematic manner and to prepare and maintain a comprehensive and continuous index of all certificates registered. Existing law requires that specified birth, death, and marriage record indices prepared or maintained by local registrars and county recorders be kept confidential. Existing law requires, notwithstanding these provisions, local registrars and county recorders to release, when requested, their comprehensive birth and death record indices to the State Registrar.

end insert begin insert

This bill would additionally authorize the local registrar to release those indices to the county recorder within its jurisdiction for purposes of the preparation or maintenance of the indices of the county recorder.

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Existing law prescribes specified personal information to be included on birth, death, and marriage certificates. Under existing law, a certified copy of a birth or death record may only be supplied by the State Registrar, local registrar, or county recorder to an authorized person, as defined, who submits a statement sworn under penalty of perjury that the applicant is an authorized person. Existing law also requires that each certified copy of a birth, death, or marriage record contain specified information and be printed on sensitized security paper with specified begin insert security end insert features, including, among others, intaglio print.

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This bill would authorize the State Registrar to suspend the use of any security feature if necessary to enable the State Registrar, local registrar, county recorder, or county clerk to supply an applicant with a certified copy of a birth, death, or marriage record.

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Existing law requires the State Registrar to appoint a Vital Records Protection Advisory Committee to study and make recommendations to protect individual privacy, inhibit identity theft, and prevent fraud involving birth, death, and marriage certificates while providing needed access to the information contained in those records by persons seeking it for a legitimate purpose.

This bill would require the State Registrar, in consultation with the County Recorders’ Association of California and other stakeholders, to study all security features for paper used to print a vital record, or alternative security features that are equal to or better than those that are currently mandated. The bill would require the State Registrar to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2018, that contains the findings of that study and legislative recommendations pertaining to those findings.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: ²⁄₃. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 102230 of the end insert begin insert Health and Safety Code end insert begin insert is
amended to read: end insert

102230.  

(a) (1) The State Registrar shall arrange and
permanently preserve the certificates in a systematic manner and
shall prepare and maintain comprehensive and continuous indices
of all certificates registered.

(2) The birth, death, and marriage record indices prepared
pursuant to paragraph (1) and all comprehensive birth, death, and
marriage record indices prepared or maintained by local registrars
and county recorders shall be kept confidential and shall be exempt
from disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Chapter
3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of
the Government Code).

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the State Registrar, at his
or her discretion, may release comprehensive birth, death, and
nonconfidential marriage record indices to a government agency.
Local registrars and county recorders, when requested, shall release
their comprehensive birth, death, and marriage record indices to
the State Registrar. begin insert Local registrars may release their
comprehensive birth, death, and marriage record indices to the
county recorder within its jurisdiction for purposes of the
preparation or maintenance of the indices of the county recorder. end insert
A government agency that obtains indices pursuant to this
paragraph shall not sell or release the index or a portion of its
contents to another begin delete person end delete begin insert person, end insert except as necessary for official
government begin delete business end delete begin insert business, end insert and shall not post the indices or
any portion begin delete thereof end delete begin insert of the indices end insert on the Internet.

(b) (1) The State Registrar shall prepare and maintain separate
noncomprehensive indices of all California birth, death, and
nonconfidential marriage records for public release.

(2) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive birth record
indices for public release shall be comprised of first, middle, and
last name, sex, date of birth, and place of birth.

(3) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive death record
indices for public release shall be comprised of first, middle, and
last name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, place of death, date of
death, and father’s last name.

(4) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive
nonconfidential marriage record indices for public release shall
be comprised of the name of each party to the marriage and the
date of marriage.

(5) Requesters of the birth, death, or nonconfidential marriage
record indices prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall provide
proof of identity, complete a form, and sign the form under penalty
of perjury. The form shall include all of the following:

(A) The proposed use of the birth, death, or nonconfidential
marriage record indices.

(B) A disclaimer crediting analyses, interpretations, or
conclusions reached regarding the birth, death, or nonconfidential
marriage record indices to the author and not to the State
Department of Public Health.

(C) Assurance that technical descriptions of the birth, death, or
nonconfidential marriage record indices are consistent with those
provided by the State Department of Public Health.

(D) Assurance that the requester shall not sell, assign, or
otherwise transfer the birth, death, or nonconfidential marriage
record indices.

(E) Assurance that the requester shall not use the birth or death
record indices for fraudulent purposes.

(6) Birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record indices
obtained pursuant to this subdivision, and any portion thereof,
shall not be used for fraudulent purposes.

(c) (1) The State Registrar shall prepare and maintain separate
noncomprehensive indices of all California birth, death, and
nonconfidential marriage records for purposes of law enforcement
or preventing fraud.

(2) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive birth record
indices for the purpose of preventing fraud shall be comprised of
first, middle, and last name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, and
mother’s maiden name.

(3) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive death record
indices for the purpose of preventing fraud shall be comprised of
first, middle, and last name, place of death, mother’s maiden name,
sex, social security number, date of birth, place of birth, date of
death, and father’s last name.

(4) For purposes of this section, noncomprehensive
nonconfidential marriage record indices for the purpose of
preventing fraud shall be comprised of the name of each party to
the marriage and the date of marriage.

(5) The birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record indices
prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall be made available to
financial institutions, as defined in Section 6827(4)(A) and (B) of
Title 15 of the United States Code, its representatives or
contractors, consumer credit reporting agencies, as defined in
subdivision (d) of Section 1785.3 of the Civil Code, its
representatives or contractors, those entities providing information
services for purposes of law enforcement or preventing fraud,
officers of the court for the sole purpose of verifying a death, and
to persons or entities acting on behalf of law enforcement agencies
or the court, or pursuant to a court order.

(6) The birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record indices
prepared pursuant to this subdivision may be released to a
government agency.

(7) Requesters of the birth, death, or nonconfidential marriage
record indices prepared pursuant to this subdivision shall provide
proof of identity, complete a form, and sign the form under penalty
of perjury. The form shall include all of the following:

(A) An agreement not to release or allow public access to the
birth, death, or nonconfidential marriage record indices, and an
agreement not to post the indices on the Internet, except as
permitted by this subdivision.

(B) The proposed use of the birth, death, or nonconfidential
marriage record indices.

(C) The names of all persons within the organization, if
applicable, who will have access to the birth, death, or
nonconfidential marriage record indices.

(D)  A disclaimer crediting analyses, interpretations, or
conclusions reached regarding the birth, death, or nonconfidential
marriage record indices to the author and not to the State
Department of Public Health.

(E) Assurance that technical descriptions of the birth, death, or
nonconfidential marriage record indices are consistent with those
provided by the State Department of Public Health.

(F) Assurance that the requester shall not sell, assign, or
otherwise transfer the birth, death, or nonconfidential marriage
record indices, except as permitted by this subdivision.

(G) Assurance that the requester shall not use the birth, death,
or nonconfidential marriage record indices for fraudulent purposes.

(8) (A) Birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record
indices, and any portion thereof, obtained pursuant to this section,
shall not be used for fraudulent purposes and shall not be posted
on the Internet.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), individual information
contained in birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record
indices may be posted on the Internet if all of the following
requirements are met:

(i) The individual information is posted on an Internet Web site
that is protected by a password.

(ii) The individual information is posted on an Internet Web
site that is available to subscribers only for a fee.

(iii) The individual information is not posted for public display.

(iv) The individual information is available to subscribers
pursuant to a contractual agreement.

(v) The individual information is posted for purposes of law
enforcement or preventing fraud.

(d) Mail-in requests from nongovernmental agencies for birth,
death, and nonconfidential marriage record indices requested
pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) shall include a notarized
statement attesting to the identity of the requester.

(e) Noncomprehensive birth, death, and nonconfidential
marriage record indices pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) shall
be updated annually.

(f) Birth, death, and nonconfidential marriage record indices
provided pursuant to this section shall be made available subject
to cost recovery provisions of the California Public Records Act
(Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of
Title 1 of the Government Code).

(g) Noncomprehensive birth, death, and nonconfidential
marriage record indices created by local registrars or county
recorders shall be subject to the conditions for release required by
this section.

(h) A person or entity that obtains a birth, death, or
nonconfidential marriage record index, or any portion thereof,
from a requester who has obtained the index in accordance with
paragraph (7) of subdivision (c) shall not sell, assign, or otherwise
transfer that index, or any portion thereof, to a third party.

(i) Paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a) and subdivisions
(b) to (h), inclusive, shall be implemented only to the extent that
funds for these purposes are appropriated by the Legislature in the
annual Budget Act or other statute.

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 103526.5 of the end insert begin insert Health and Safety Code end insert begin insert is
amended to read: end insert

103526.5.  

(a) Each certified copy of a birth, death, or marriage
record issued pursuant to Section 103525 shall include the date
issued, the name of the issuing officer, the signature of the issuing
officer, whether that is the State Registrar, local registrar, county
recorder, or county clerk, or an authorized facsimile thereof, and
the seal of the issuing office.

(b) All certified copies of birth, death, and marriage records
issued pursuant to Section 103525 shall be printed on chemically
sensitized security paper that measures 81⁄2 inches by 11 inches
and that has the following features:

(1) Intaglio print.

(2) Latent image.

(3) Fluorescent, consecutive numbering with matching barcode.

(4) Microprint line.

(5) Prismatic printing.

(6) Watermark.

(7) Void pantograph.

(8) Fluorescent security threads.

(9) Fluorescent fibers.

(10) Any other security features deemed necessary by the State
Registrar.

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(c) The State Registrar may suspend the use of any security
feature described in subdivision (b) if necessary to enable the State
Registrar, local registrar, county recorder, or county clerk to
supply an applicant with a certified copy of a birth, death, or
marriage record issued pursuant to Section 103525.

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(c)

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begin insert ( end insert begin insert d) end insert  The State Registrar, local registrars, county recorders, and
county clerks shall take precautions to ensure that uniform and
consistent standards are used statewide to safeguard the security
paper described in subdivision (b), including, but not limited to,
the following measures:

(1) Security paper shall be maintained under secure conditions
so as not to be accessible to the public.

(2) A log shall be kept of all visitors allowed in the area where
security paper is stored.

(3) All spoilage shall be accounted for and subsequently
destroyed by shredding on the premises.

begin delete SECTION 1. end delete

begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

Section 103526.6 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:

103526.6.  

(a) The State Registrar, in consultation with the
County Recorders’ Association of California and other
stakeholders, shall study all security features for paper used to
print a vital record pursuant to Section 103525, or alternative
security features that are equal to or better than those that are
currently mandated.

(b) (1) On or before January 1, 2018, the State Registrar shall
submit to the Legislature a report that contains the findings of the
study conducted pursuant to subdivision (a) and legislative
recommendations pertaining to those findings.

(2) A report submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this
subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795
of the Government Code.

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete

begin insert SEC. 4. end insert   

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order for the State Registrar to begin insert allow individuals access to
their vital records and to end insert conduct a study regarding all security
features for paper used to print a vital record, or alternative security
features that are equal to or better than those that are currently
mandated, as soon as possible, and to ensure timely reporting of
the findings of that study to the Legislature, it is necessary that
this act take effect immediately.