STILLBIRTH RECORD; PROHIBIT FEE H.B. 5289 (H-2):
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 5289 (Substitute H-2 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Julie Alexander
House Committee: Families, Children, and Seniors
Ways and Means
Senate Committee: Families, Seniors and Veterans
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to prohibit the State Registrar from charging a fee for a search and not more than two certified copies or authenticated copies of a certificate or other record of stillbirth described in the Code.
Except as otherwise provided by the Code, on receipt of a written request and payment of the prescribed fee, the State Registrar or local registrar must issue a certified copy of a live birth record, an affidavit of parentage filed after June 1, 1997, or a record of stillbirth filed after June 1, 2003, to one of the following:
-- The individual who is the subject of the record.
-- A parent named in the record.
-- An heir, a legal representative, or a legal guardian of the individual who is the subject of the record.
-- A court of competent jurisdiction.
The bill specifies that, except as otherwise provided, on receipt of a written request and payment of the prescribed fee, if any, the State Registrar or local registrar would have to issue a certified copy of a live birth record, an affidavit of parentage filed after June 1, 1997, or a certificate or other record of stillbirth filed after June 1, 2003, to the individuals described above.
Under the Code, the State Registrar or local registrar, after receiving a written request and payment of the prescribed fee, must conduct a search for a vital record for an individual who purports to be eligible under the Code or for an agency specified by the Code to receive a certified copy, administrative use copy, or a statistical use copy of the requested vital record. The Code prescribes fees for a search for a vital record and provides exemptions for those fees under certain circumstances.
Under the bill, the State Registrar could not charge a fee for a search and not more than two certified copies or authenticated copies of a certificate or other record of stillbirth.
MCL 333.2882 & 333.2891 Legislative Analyst: Tyler VanHuyse
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a negative fiscal impact on the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and no fiscal impact on local units of government. Under current law, the DHHS receives a $34 fee when an eligible individual requests a certified copy of a birth record from the State Registrar, $16 per additional copy, and an additional $12 if the eligible individual requests that the search be expedited. For an authenticated copy, the DHHS receives $42 after receiving a request from an eligible individual, $26 per additional copy, and an additional $25 if the eligible individual requests that the search be expedited. These, and other fees, are used to support the Vital Records Program within the DHHS. This bill would result in a decrease in revenue for the State by waiving the fee for a search and up to two certified or authenticated copies of a certificate or other record of a stillbirth. According to the DHHS, between the years of 2010 and 2017, there were an average of 613 stillbirths in Michigan each year. Assuming a similar number of stillbirths happened in subsequent years, the Department would see a reduction in revenue ranging from $20,800 to $57,000 each year.
Fiscal Analyst: Ellyn Ackerman
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.