Chapter 526
2016 -- H 7458
Enacted 08/11/2016

A N   A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - VITAL RECORDS

Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, Shekarchi, Solomon, Craven, and Keable
Date Introduced: February 04, 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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LC003404
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