PRINTER'S NO. 1795
No. 1296 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY ROBBINS, WONDERLING, LAVALLE, M. WHITE, PUNT,
BROWNE, EARLL, GREENLEAF, KASUNIC, C. WILLIAMS, BAKER,
GORDNER, FOLMER, RAFFERTY, RHOADES, WOZNIAK AND VANCE,
FEBRUARY 26, 2008
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, FEBRUARY 26, 2008
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), entitled "An
2 act providing for the administration of a statewide system of
3 vital statistics; prescribing the functions of the State
4 Department of Health, the State Advisory Health Board and
5 local registrars; imposing duties upon coroners,
6 prothonotaries, clerks of orphans' court, physicians,
7 midwives and other persons; requiring reports and
8 certificates for the registration of vital statistics;
9 regulating the disposition of dead bodies; limiting the
10 disclosure of records; prescribing the sufficiency of vital
11 statistics records as evidence; prescribing fees and
12 penalties; and revising and consolidating the laws relating
13 thereto," further providing for disclosure of records.
14 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
15 hereby enacts as follows:
16 Section 1. Section 801 of the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304,
17 No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, is amended to
18 read:
19 Section 801. Records: Disclosure in General.--The vital
20 statistics records of the department and of local registrars
21 shall not be open to public inspection except as authorized by
22 the provisions of this act and the regulations of the Advisory
1 Health Board. Neither the department nor local registrars shall
2 issue copies of or disclose any vital statistics record or part
3 thereof created under the provisions of this or prior acts
4 except in compliance with the provisions of this act and the
5 regulations of the Advisory Health Board. When seventy-five (75)
6 years have elapsed after the date of birth or fifty (50) years
7 have elapsed after the date of death, the records, including any
8 application filed in connection therewith, of these events shall
9 become public records and information shall be made available in
10 accordance with regulations which shall provide for the
11 continued safekeeping of the records.
12 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
A31L35BIL/20080S1296B1795 - 2 -