PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1129, 1655 PRINTER'S NO. 1911
No. 972 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SLOCUM, PICCOLA, HELFRICK, KITCHEN AND THOMPSON,
MAY 13, 1999
SENATOR TILGHMAN, APPROPRIATIONS, RE-REPORTED AS AMENDED,
MAY 1, 2000
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," providing for Department of Health transfer of
14 funds; and further providing for local registrars' fees, FOR <--
15 REPORTS TO COUNTY REGISTRATION COMMISSIONS and for issuance
16 of certificates of death.
17 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
18 hereby enacts as follows:
19 Section 1. The act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known
20 as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, is amended by adding a
21 section to read:
22 Section 206. Department: Transfer of Funds.--(a) The
23 department shall annually distribute the accrued funds received
24 pursuant to sections 304(b) and 804.1(b) to the county coroner
1 or medical examiner in the county where the death occurred. The
2 department shall promulgate regulations regarding the
3 collection, retention and distribution of the fees received
4 under sections 304(b) and 804.1(b).
5 (b) The department shall require any funds received by
6 county coroners or medical examiners under this section to be
7 used for the purposes of laboratory or necropsy room
8 modernization, including supplies, equipment, training and
9 office and laboratory facility improvement or the modernization
10 of equipment used for forensic investigation. The department may
11 promulgate regulations to implement this section including an
12 annual audit regarding the use of these funds, in addition to
13 any other annual audit performed at the county level.
14 Section 2. Section 304 of the act, amended December 20, 1991
15 (P.L.399, No.46), is amended to read:
16 Section 304. Registration Districts: Local Registrars'
17 Compensation.--(a) Each local registrar shall be paid a fee of
18 one dollar ($1) for each certificate transmitted in accordance
19 with the provisions of this act or for each report of no
20 certificates filed during any calendar month. The fees
21 prescribed by this section shall be paid by the Commonwealth
22 from funds appropriated to the department.
23 (b) Local registrars shall issue certificates of death from
24 original certificates of death in their possession upon
25 completion of a period of instruction on the preparation of
26 certificates by representatives of the Division of Vital
27 Records. For each certificate issued, the local registrar shall
28 receive a fee of [two dollars ($2).] five dollars ($5) from the
29 requester. Each fee received by a local registrar shall be
30 distributed as follows: four dollars ($4) shall be retained by
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1 the local registrar, except as provided for in subsection (c),
2 and one dollar ($1) shall be transmitted to the department for
3 distribution to the county coroner or medical examiner as
4 provided for in section 206.
5 (c) A local registrar may not receive an aggregate amount of
6 fees in excess of [thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000)] forty
7 thousand dollars ($40,000) in any one calendar year. Upon
8 receiving an aggregate of forty thousand dollars ($40,000) in
9 fees in one calendar year, the local registrar shall transmit
10 the fee it is authorized to retain under subsection (b) to the
11 department.
12 (d) Any regulation inconsistent with or contrary to the
13 provisions of this section is superseded.
14 SECTION 3. SECTION 801.1 OF THE ACT, ADDED AUGUST 18, 1961 <--
15 (P.L.1011, NO.452), IS AMENDED TO READ:
16 SECTION 801.1. RECORDS: REPORTS TO COUNTY REGISTRATION
17 COMMISSIONS.--THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REPORT MONTHLY IN WRITING TO
18 THE REGISTRATION COMMISSION OF EACH COUNTY THE DEATHS OF
19 RESIDENTS OF SUCH COUNTIES, EXCEPT RESIDENTS LESS THAN [TWENTY]
20 EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE, FOR THE PRECEDING MONTH. SAID REPORT
21 SHALL CONTAIN THE FULL NAME OF THE DECEDENT, HIS OR HER LAST
22 ADDRESS, THE DATE OF HIS OR HER BIRTH IF AVAILABLE, AND THE DATE
23 OF HIS OR HER DEATH.
24 Section 3 4. The act is amended by adding a section to read: <--
25 Section 804.1. Records: Certified Copy of Death.--(a) Upon
26 application therefor and payment of a fee of five dollars ($5),
27 the department shall issue a certified copy of a certificate of
28 death.
29 (b) When there is no local registrar, upon application
30 thereof and payment of a fee of five dollars ($5), the local
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1 department office shall issue a certificate of death. Each fee
2 received by the local department office shall be distributed as
3 follows: four dollars ($4) shall be retained by the department
4 and one dollar ($1) shall be retained by the department for
5 distribution to the county coroner or medical examiner as
6 provided for in section 206.
7 Section 4 5. This act shall take effect in 90 days. <--
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