PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 873, 1719 PRINTER'S NO. 1740
No. 776 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY WONDERLING, TOMLINSON, PUNT, RAFFERTY, O'PAKE, STOUT, WAUGH, M. WHITE, FUMO, GREENLEAF, RHOADES, ERICKSON, C. WILLIAMS, COSTA, LAVALLE, ROBBINS, MADIGAN, EARLL, ARMSTRONG AND BROWNE, APRIL 23, 2007
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, FEBRUARY 5, 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 registration districts and 14 local registrars' duties, for death and fetal death 15 registrations and for reports. 16 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 17 hereby enacts as follows: 18 Section 1. Section 303 of the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, 19 No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, amended 20 October 27, 2006 (P.L.1200, No.129), is amended to read: 21 Section 303. Registration Districts: Local Registrars' 22 Duties.--Local registrars shall perform the duties imposed upon 23 them by this act, under and subject to the supervision of the
1 department. Local registrars shall transmit certificates and 2 transcripts to such places and at such times as shall be 3 prescribed by the department [and shall transmit, for a person 4 who was at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of 5 death, a copy of the death certificate to the county board of 6 elections of the county in which the person resided at the time 7 of death]. 8 Section 2. Section 501 of the act, amended July 9, 1971 9 (P.L.213, No.38), is amended to read: 10 Section 501. Death and Fetal Death Registration: 11 Certificates to be Filed.--A certificate of each death or fetal 12 death which occurs in this Commonwealth shall be filed within 13 ninety-six (96) hours after the death or fetal death or within 14 ninety-six (96) hours after the finding of a dead body or fetal 15 remains. In every instance, the certificate shall be filed prior 16 to the issuance of a permit for interment or other disposition 17 of the dead body or fetal remains. The person in charge of 18 interment or of removal of the dead body or fetal remains from 19 the registration district shall file the certificate with any 20 local registrar or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, who 21 shall be authorized to issue certified copies of such death. 22 Section 3. Section 504 of the act, amended October 27, 2006 23 (P.L.1200, No.129), is amended to read: 24 Section 504. Death and Fetal Death Registration: Permits 25 Concerning Dead Bodies and Fetal Remains.--No person shall 26 dispose of a dead body or fetal remains until a local registrar 27 or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics issues a permit for 28 disposal. The local registrar or the State Registrar of Vital 29 Statistics shall be authorized to issue the permit and may issue 30 blank presigned permits to the funeral director only. The 20070S0776B1740 - 2 -
1 funeral director or the person in charge of interment or removal 2 shall, within ninety-six (96) hours after the death or fetal 3 death or within ninety-six (96) hours after the finding of a 4 dead body or fetal remains, file with the local registrar a 5 certificate of death or fetal death. 6 The sexton or other person in charge of any premises in which 7 bodies are interred or cremated shall not allow the interment or 8 cremation of any dead body or fetal remains unless a permit 9 issued under this section is presented to the sexton. The sexton 10 or other person in charge of the premises shall endorse upon 11 each permit presented to the sexton or other person the date of 12 interment or cremation, over the sexton's or other person's 13 signature, and shall return the permit so endorsed to the local 14 registrar of the sexton's or other person's district or the 15 State Registrar of Vital Statistics within ten day from the date 16 of interment or cremation. 17 Section 4. Section 801.1 of the act, amended November 23, 18 2004 (P.L.909, No.122), is amended to read: 19 Section 801.1. Records: Reports to County Registration 20 Commissions.--[The department shall report monthly in writing to 21 the registration commission of each county the deaths of 22 residents of such counties, except residents less than eighteen 23 years of age, for the preceding month. Said report shall contain 24 the full name of the decedent, his or her last address, the date 25 of his or her birth if available, and the date of his or her 26 death.] The department shall transmit monthly to the Department 27 of State an electronic file containing information on all 28 resident deaths, except residents less than eighteen years of 29 age, for the preceding month. The electronic file shall include, <-- 30 at a minimum, the full name of the decedent, gender, last 20070S0776B1740 - 3 -
1 address, the date of birth if available, county of residence 2 and, the date of death, COUNTY OF DEATH, STATE FILE NUMBER AND <-- 3 THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THE DECEDENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. 4 The Department of State shall enter this information into the 5 "sure system" as defined in 25 Pa.C.S. § 102 (relating to 6 definitions), or a similar successor system, which shall be used 7 by the county boards of election for the purpose of purging <-- 8 REMOVING deceased individuals from their voter registration <-- 9 rolls. 10 Section 5. This act shall take effect in 60 days. C26L35RLE/20070S0776B1740 - 4 -