| Chapter 522 |
| 2016 -- S 2541 Enacted 08/11/2016 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - VITAL RECORDS |
| Introduced By: Senators Pearson, Picard, and Lombardo |
| Date Introduced: February 25, 2016 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 23-3-23 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-3 entitled "Vital |
| Records" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 23-3-23. Disclosure of records. -- (a) To protect the integrity of vital records, to insure |
| ensure their proper use, and to insure ensure the efficient and proper administration of the vital |
| records system, it shall be unlawful for any person to permit inspection of, or to disclose |
| information contained in, vital records, or to copy, or issue a copy, of all, or part of, any vital |
| record, except as authorized by regulation or as provided for herein. |
| (b) The director of health may authorize, under appropriate safeguards, the disclosure of |
| data contained in vital records for research purposes. |
| (c) Information in vital records indicating that a birth occurred out of wedlock shall not |
| be disclosed, except as provided by regulation, upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or |
| until the record becomes a public record as defined by regulations. |
| (d) Appeals from decisions of the custodians of permanent local records refusing to |
| disclose information, or to permit inspection of or copying of records, of persons born one |
| hundred (100) years before the date of inspection, under the authority of this section and |
| regulation issued under this section, shall be made to the state registrar of vital records. |
| Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, those records shall be open for research to any |
| member of a legally incorporated genealogy society and those societies shall be permitted to |
| incorporate statistics derived from those records in their publications, upon receipt of permission |
| of the director of health; and provided, further, that no person, except the person whose birth is |
| recorded, his or her issue, parent or guardian, spouse, civil union and/or registered domestic |
| partner, grandparent, or sibling; or attorneys at law, title examiners, or members of legally |
| incorporated genealogical societies in the conduct of their official duties as defined in regulations |
| shall have any access to, or be permitted to, examine the original or any copy of the birth |
| certificate or birth record, of any person in the custody of any registrar of vital records or of the |
| state department of health. |
| (e) Title examiners, attorneys, or members of legally incorporated genealogical societies, |
| in the conduct of their official duties as defined in regulations, shall be allowed to examine death |
| certificates that have been filed with the department of health and/or municipalities. No fees shall |
| be charged to such persons for the searching or viewing of death certificates, but fees for copies |
| pursuant to ยงยง23-1-54 or 23-3-25 shall apply. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC003221 |
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