BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1546
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Date of Hearing: January 12, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Rob Bonta, Chair
AB 1546
(Olsen) - As Amended January 7, 2016
SUBJECT: Vital records.
SUMMARY: Requires the State Registrar, in consultation with the
County Recorders' Association of California and other
stakeholders, to study the security features for paper used to
print vital records, or alternative security features that are
equal to or better than those currently mandated. Requires the
State Registrar to report its findings and recommendations to
the Legislature by January 1, 2018. Contains an urgency clause
to ensure that the provisions of this bill go into immediate
effect upon enactment.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires the State Registrar (the Director of the Department
of Public Health (DPH)), a local registrar, or a county
recorder, upon payment of a required fee, to supply applicants
a certified copy of birth, fetal death, death, marriage, or
divorce records.
2)Establishes the Office of Vital Records within DPH to maintain
a uniform system for registration and a permanent central
registry with a comprehensive and continuous index for all
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birth, death, fetal death, marriage and dissolution
certificates registered for vital events which occur in
California
3)Requires that each certified copy of a birth, death, or
marriage record contain specified information and be printed
on sensitized security paper with specified security features,
including,
a) Intaglio print;
b) Latent image;
c) Fluorescent, consecutive numbering with matching
barcode;
d) Microprint line;
e) Prismatic printing;
f) Watermark;
g) Void pantograph,
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h) Fluorescent security threads;
i) Fluorescent fibers; and,
j) Any other security features deemed necessary by the
State Registrar.
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill has not been analyzed by a fiscal
committee.
COMMENTS:
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL. Official copies of vital records are
required for myriad of important tasks, such as proving
identity and managing estates. According to the author, the
recent shortage of secure paper for printing vital records
caused some counties to set limits on how many documents one
can receive, which is problematic for cases like estate
matters that require multiple copies of the same document.
The author asserts that this bill is needed for the state to
study long-term alternatives to the current security
requirements for vital records, in order to provide counties
with a variety of options they can rely on well into the
future.
2)BACKGROUND. California statute requires vital records to be
printed on chemically sensitized security paper containing
nine specific security features (as specified in 3a through i
above under existing law). At the start of 2015, due to
mergers and acquisitions of various bank note companies, only
one company (Sekuworks) in the United States manufactured
paper that met the security requirement for vital records,
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specifically, intaglio printing. "Intaglio printing" is a
security feature in which the image is incised into a surface,
and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. In
September 2015 Sekuworks suddenly closed. Local governments
and the State Registrar were unable to find another company
within the U.S. capable of printing suitably secure paper,
creating a potential shortage of very important documents.
The paper with appropriate security features was instead
purchased from a Canadian company, Canadian Bank Note.
Ultimately, VeriTrack Inc. purchased Sekuworks and was able to
continue printing operations. According to the State
Registrar, all counties either previously out or in short
supply have received recent supplies of appropriate paper from
either Canadian Bank Note or VeriTrack.
While the recent immediate shortage has been alleviated, it
has raised concerns that reliance on a very small number of
companies for the state's security paper could pose a serious
future risk. Certified copies of vital records are required
for numerous personal, financial, and business transactions.
A shortage of paper could have serious ramifications on these
activities.
3)SUPPORT. The California Association of Clerks and Election
Officials writes in support that when the lone company capable
of supplying paper with intaglio print closed its doors,
California counties discovered the vulnerability that exists
in attempting to comply with the current requirements.
Supporters generally state that the security requirements in
statute have not been reviewed recently and in light of
technological changes the time for a review of the security
measures has come.
4)RELATED LEGISLATION. AB 1238 (Linder) allows individuals to
request certified copies of vital records through electronic
submission. AB 1238 is set to be heard in this Committee on
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January 12, 2016.
5)POLICY COMMENT. While the urgent situation that caused the
introduction of this bill has been resolved, there is
potential that a shortage or other problem may occur in the
future. Jurisdictions within the state may find themselves
in a dire shortage of appropriately secure paper before the
State Registrar completes the report required in this bill.
The author may wish to consider amendments that give the
Registrar authority to suspend one or more security features,
such as intaglio print, in the event of extreme paper shortage
until such time that suitable alternative security measures
can be identified by the study done pursuant to this bill.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California State Association of Counties (cosponsor)
County Recorders Association of California (cosponsor)
California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.
Rural County Representatives of California
Opposition
None on file.
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Analysis Prepared by:Dharia McGrew / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097