BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1546
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1546 (Olsen)
As Amended January 7, 2016
2/3 vote. Urgency
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Health |19-0 |Bonta, Maienschein, | |
| | |Bonilla, Burke, | |
| | |Chávez, Chiu, Gomez, | |
| | |Gonzalez, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, Lackey, | |
| | |Nazarian, Patterson, | |
| | |Ridley-Thomas, | |
| | |Rodriguez, Santiago, | |
| | |Steinorth, Thurmond, | |
| | |Waldron, Wood | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonilla, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
AB 1546
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| | | | |
| | | | |
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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 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;
AB 1546
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f) Watermark;
g) Void pantograph,
h) Fluorescent security threads;
i) Fluorescent fibers; and,
j) Any other security features deemed necessary by the
State Registrar.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor and absorbable costs to the California
Department of Public Health to complete the report (Health
Statistics fund).
COMMENTS: 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.
California statute requires vital records to be printed on
chemically sensitized security paper containing nine specific
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security features (as specified in 3 a) 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, 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 United States 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.
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.
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There is no known opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by: Dharia McGrew / HEALTH
/ (916) 319-2097 FN: 0002574