BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1951
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          Date of Hearing:   April 30, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 1951 (Gomez) - As Amended:  March 25, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              HealthVote:16-1

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill,  as proposed to be amended  , modifies identifying  
          information about parents on birth certificates.  Specifically,  
          this bill replaces requirements for name of "mother" and  
          "father" with gender-neutral language related to parents, such  
          as parent.   

          Additionally, it requires the State Registrar of Vital  
          Statistics (Registrar) to modify birth certificates to include  
          two lines that both read "Name of Parent," and next to each  
          parent's name, three checkboxes with the following options:  
          Mother, Father, Parent.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Costs to the Department of Public Health to print a year's  
          supply of new forms, applications, and informational pamphlets,  
          of approximately $100,000. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . According to the author, the current practice in  
            completing a birth certificate limits the choices for a  
            same-sex couple, forcing same-sex parents to inaccurately  
            place one of their names in the "Father" or "Mother" field.   
            The author further states that this bill will allow same-sex  
            parents to accurately identify each parent as Mother, Father,  
            or Parent in check boxes, allowing for birth certificates to  
            reflect two mothers or two fathers, as well as a  
            gender-neutral parent option.

           2)Background  . The purpose of the vital records system is  








                                                                  AB 1951
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            twofold:  to establish a permanent record that is legally  
            recognized, and to provide a means for studying the  
            statistical data for health evaluation and planning purposes.   
            Currently, fields identifying parents on a birth certificate  
            form read "Father/Parent" and "Mother/Parent."  

           3)Related Legislation  . AB 2528 (Skinner) requires the State  
            Registrar to ensure that diacritical marks on English letters  
            are properly recorded on birth certificates.  AB 2528 is also  
            being heard today in this committee.

           4)Amendments  delay the operative date of the bill to January 1,  
            2016.  The later date will better accommodate required systems  
            changes and the printing of new forms.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081