text:
(a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Health Statistics Special Fund. The fund shall consist of revenues, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Fees or charges remitted to the State Registrar for record search or issuance of certificates, permits, registrations, or other documents pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 26801) of Part 3 of Division 2 of Title 3 of the Government Code, and Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 102525), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 102625), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 103050), and Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 103600) of Part 1 of Division 102 of this code.

(2) Funds remitted to the State Registrar by the federal Social Security Administration for participation in the enumeration at birth program.

(3) Funds remitted to the State Registrar by the National Center for Health Statistics pursuant to the federal Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.

(4) Any other funds collected by the State Registrar, except Children’s Trust Fund fees collected pursuant to Section 18966 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and fees allocated to the Judicial Council pursuant to Section 1852 of the Family Code, all of which shall be deposited into the General Fund.

(b) Moneys in the Health Statistics Special Fund shall be expended by the State Registrar for the purpose of funding its existing programs and programs that may become necessary to carry out its mission, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(c) Health Statistics Special Fund moneys shall be expended only for the purposes set forth in this section and Section 102249, and shall not be expended for any other purpose or for any other state program.

(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Health Statistics Special Fund provide for the following:

(1) Registration and preservation of vital event records and dissemination of vital event information to the public.

(2) Data analysis of vital statistics for population projections, health trends and patterns, epidemiologic research, and development of information to support new health policies.

(3) Development of uniform health data systems that are integrated, accessible, and useful in the collection of information on health status.

(e) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2023.

history: (History: Amended (as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 296, Sec. 170) by Stats. 2017, Ch. 38, Sec. 5. (AB 114) Effective July 10, 2017. Section operative January 1, 2023, by its own provisions.)

article: 1. State Administration


kind: section

code: HSC

text:
(a) The State Registrar shall expend funds in the Health Statistics Special Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for all of the following:

(1) Support existing programs within the State Registrar’s office.

(2) Implement and support new programs within the State Registrar’s office that meet its goals and objectives.

(3) Build a data system that will support policy analysis and program decisions at all levels, be useful to health care providers, local and community agencies, and the state, and ultimately benefit consumers of health care services.

(4) Develop and maintain public health data bases.

(5) Access and analyze data in order to develop and evaluate California’s health policy.

(6) Conduct special studies and prepare statistical reports concerning the health status of Californians.

(7) Develop and maintain an automation system for vital event registration.

(8) Disseminate vital event information and statistical reports to the public.

(b) This section shall become operative on July 1, 1995.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)

part: 1. VITAL RECORDS

chapter: 2. Administration

article: 1. State Administration

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 2. Administration > 1. State Administration


text:
(a) (1) The State Registrar shall, upon appropriation, establish a grant program for the purpose of studying extralegal marriages involving minors in the state.

(2) An “extralegal marriage involving minors” means a marriage in which one or both of the parties is under 18 years of age, and the marriage was not solemnized in accordance with the laws of this state, including, but not limited to, circumstances in which no marriage license was applied for, no marriage certificate was returned, or court approval was not sought.

(b) (1) A report completed through the grant program shall address the prevalence of, conditions of, and circumstances surrounding extralegal marriages in the state and include both qualitative and quantitative data.

(2) A report completed through the grant program shall not include personal identifying information about any person discussed in the report.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 984, Sec. 2. (SB 575) Effective January 1, 2025.)

division: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS

article: 1. State Administration


text: The health officer of any approved local health department, as defined in Article 1 (commencing with Section 101175) of Part 3 of Division 101 and approved thereunder, is the local registrar in and for all registration districts within that health jurisdiction and shall perform all the duties of local registrar of births and deaths.

article: 2. Local Administration

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 2. Administration > 2. Local Administration


text: In other areas, the State Registrar shall appoint a local registrar of births and deaths for each registration district, whose term of office shall be four years. The State Registrar may remove such appointee forthwith for failure or neglect to perform his or her duty.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The county recorder is the local registrar of marriages and shall perform all the duties of the local registrar of marriages.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Each assistant or deputy of a local registrar may perform all of the duties of the local registrar in the name and place of his or her principal.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Each local registrar is hereby charged with the enforcement of this part in his or her registration district under the supervision and direction of the State Registrar and shall make an immediate report to the State Registrar of any violation of this law coming to his or her knowledge.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Each local registrar shall supply blank forms to persons who require them.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar of births and deaths shall carefully examine each certificate before acceptance for registration and, if any are not completed in a manner consistent with the policies established by the State Registrar, he or she shall require further information to be furnished as may be necessary to make the record consistent with those policies before acceptance for registration.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar of marriages shall carefully examine each license before acceptance for registration and, if it is incomplete or unsatisfactory, he or she shall require any further information to be furnished as may be necessary to make the record satisfactory before acceptance for registration.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 816, Sec. 42. Effective January 1, 2007. Operative January 1, 2008, by Sec. 56 of Ch. 816.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar shall affix his or her signature to each certificate in attest to the date of acceptance for registration in his or her office.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar shall number the certificates of live birth, fetal death, and death consecutively in separate series, beginning with number one for the first event in each calendar year.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar shall number each marriage certificate consecutively beginning with the number one for either the first event occurring, or first event registered in, each calendar year. Numbering may be based on either the year that the event occurs or the year of registration.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 816, Sec. 43. Effective January 1, 2007. Operative January 1, 2008, by Sec. 56 of Ch. 816.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar shall make a complete and accurate copy of each certificate accepted for registration and shall preserve it in his or her office as the local registrar’s copy of the record in the manner directed by the State Registrar.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Each local registrar of births and deaths shall transmit a copy of each original birth certificate and death certificate to the county recorder for the special county record, and shall, at the same time, forward the original certificates to the State Registrar pursuant to Section 102345.

history: (History: Repealed and added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 147, Sec. 2. (AB 2561) Effective January 1, 2019.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
(a) The local registrar of births and deaths shall transmit each week to the State Registrar all original certificates accepted for registration by him or her during the preceding week.

(b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 1993.

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
(a) The local registrar of births and deaths shall transmit each month to the Department of Industrial Relations a copy of each certificate of death for which the death has been marked as work-related and which was accepted for registration by him or her during the preceding month.

(b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2003.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 46, Sec. 75. (SB 1038) Effective June 27, 2012.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The county board of supervisors may, by resolution, require the local registrar to send a copy of each certificate of death to the physician and surgeon whose statement appears on the certificate pursuant to Section 102825.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar of marriages shall transmit to the State Registrar not less than quarterly all original marriage certificates accepted for registration by him or her during the preceding quarter. Certificates shall be batched by calendar year of event prior to transmission. Certificates may be transmitted at more frequent intervals by arrangement with the State Registrar.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 816, Sec. 44. Effective January 1, 2007. Operative January 1, 2008, by Sec. 56 of Ch. 816.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
(a) For purposes of Section 102233, the local registrar of marriages shall submit to the State Registrar, at least annually, all of the following information concerning marriage certificates that are accepted for registration by them during the same calendar year and in which one or both of the parties were minors at the time of solemnization of the marriage:

(1) The total number of those marriage certificates.

(2) Itemized for each of those marriage certificates, the age of each party at the time of solemnization of the marriage.

(3) Itemized for each of those marriage certificates, the gender of each party, if available.

(b) The information submitted to the State Registrar pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not contain the names, addresses, or other personal identifying information of parties to a marriage certificate or information identifying a marriage certificate. The information shall not contain a marriage certificate or a copy of the court order described in Section 304 of the Family Code.

(c) The local registrar of marriages shall not submit information described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a) if no marriage certificate described in subdivision (a) is accepted for registration by them during the same calendar year.

(d) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, no earlier than two years after the local registrar of marriages submits the information described in subdivision (a) to the State Registrar, the local registrar may dispose of that information.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, immediately after the local registrar of marriages submits the information described in subdivision (a) to the State Registrar, the local registrar may dispose of the copy of the court order received from the person solemnizing the marriage pursuant to Section 423 of the Family Code.

(e) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the State Department of Public Health may implement this section through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the State Registrar without taking regulatory action.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 984, Sec. 3. (SB 575) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local registrar of births and deaths shall furnish to the registrar of voters or county clerk not later than the 15th day of each month a notification of all deceased persons 18 years of age and over whose deaths were registered with him or her or of whose deaths he or she was notified by the state registrar of vital statistics during the preceding month. This notification shall include at least the name, social security number, sex, age, birthplace, birthdate, place of residence, and date and place of death for each decedent. Copies of this notification list shall be sent at the same time to the county welfare department and the local district social security office.

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a local registrar of births and deaths, after two years from the date of registration and with the approval of, and under the supervision of, the State Registrar, shall dispose of the local registrar’s copies of the records, if both of the following exist:

(1) The original copies of the records are on file in the office of the State Registrar.

(2) Copies of the records are on file in the office of the county recorder. If the county recorder does not have copies of the records, the county recorder may accept the State Registrar’s copies as a special county record of the events.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a local health jurisdiction that exclusively serves cities may issue a record older than two years if the record issued is the most accurate record on file with the State of California.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 188, Sec. 1. (AB 1152) Effective January 1, 2020.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text: The local custodian of records is hereby authorized to receive original records or abstracts of records of any birth or death that were filed with any political subdivision prior to July 1, 1905, and to retain them as a special county record of the events.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 889, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1997.)

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
Special county records of birth certificates and death certificates transmitted and filed with the county recorder under this article shall be open for inspection by the public in accordance with regulations adopted by the department for local registrars.

Nothing in this section shall authorize the use of a certificate marked pursuant to subdivision (a) of former Section 10056.5 by any person compiling a business contact list.

article: 2. Local Administration


text:
The county recorder and the local registrar of births and deaths, with the approval and under the supervision of the State Registrar and with the approval of the board of supervisors of any county or city and county by ordinance, may authorize the transfer of special county records of deaths and marriages and local registrar’s records of deaths for events that occurred subsequent to July 1, 1905, to a private nonprofit agency or public agency that shall preserve the records for local public use. The receiving agency shall protect and preserve the records to assure access for any person who has a need or interest in reviewing the records, and shall prohibit the photocopying or sale of copies of the records, but may convert the records to microform format.

If the office of the local registrar or the county recorder does not have copies of the records, that office is hereby authorized to accept them from the county recorder or local registrar.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: If a public agency or private nonprofit agency that receives copies of records pursuant to this section is unable to assure the continued preservation and protection of those records for public use, the records shall be returned to the contributing local registrar or county recorder.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Any record of death and marriage transferred to a public agency or private nonprofit agency pursuant to Section 102380 is exempt from Sections 102230 and 103245.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Special county records of birth, death, and marriage and the local registrar’s records of birth, death, and marriage shall be subject to Sections 26205.5 and 26205.7 of the Government Code.

article: 2. Local Administration


text: Each live birth shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths for the district in which the birth occurred within 21 days following the date of the event.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 34, Sec. 1. (AB 2176) Effective January 1, 2023.)

chapter: 3. Live Birth Registration

article: 1. Duty of Registering Live Birth

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 3. Live Birth Registration > 1. Duty of Registering Live Birth


text: For live births that occur in a hospital, or a state-licensed alternative birth center, as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 1204, the administrator of the hospital or center or a representative designated by the administrator in writing may sign the birth certificate certifying the fact of birth instead of the attending physician and surgeon, certified nurse midwife, or principal attendant if the physician and surgeon, certified nurse midwife, or principal attendant is not available to sign the certificate; and shall be responsible for registering the certificate with the local registrar within the time specified in Section 102400.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 64, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2001.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Live Birth


text: For those live births occurring in a hospital, and upon a parent’s request, a footprint shall be taken of the child prior to discharge from the facility and shall be made available to the parents. The footprint shall be placed on a sheet of paper that is separate from the birth certificate, shall only be prepared for the parents prior to discharge from the hospital, and need not be retained or kept on file.

article: 1. Duty of Registering Live Birth


text: For live births that occur outside of a hospital or outside of a state-licensed alternative birth center, as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 1204, the physician in attendance at the birth or, in the absence of a physician, the professionally licensed midwife or the certified nurse-midwife in attendance at the birth or, in the absence of a physician or midwife, either one of the parents shall be responsible for entering the information on the certificate, securing the required signatures, and for registering the certificate with the local registrar.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 88, Sec. 9. (SB 1237) Effective January 1, 2021.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Live Birth


text:
(a) The certificate of live birth shall contain those items necessary to establish the fact of the birth and shall contain only the following information:

(1) Full name and sex of the child.

(2) Date of birth, including month, day, hour, and year.

(3) Place of birth.

(4) Full name and date of birth of each parent, including month, day, and year, and the parental relationship of the parent to the child.

(A) The full name of the mother shall be the birth name of the mother.

(B) If the birth mother is one of the parents listed on the certificate of live birth, the birth mother’s name shall be placed on the second parent line.

(C) If the parents are not married to each other, the name of the person identified by the woman giving birth as either the only possible genetic parent other than the woman giving birth or the intended parent of a child conceived through assisted reproduction shall not be listed on the birth certificate unless the woman who gave birth to the child and either the only possible genetic parent other than the woman who gave birth or the intended parent of a child conceived through assisted reproduction sign a voluntary declaration of parentage at the hospital before the birth certificate is submitted for registration. The birth certificate may be amended to add another parent’s name at a later date only if parentage for the child has been established by a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction or by the filing of a voluntary declaration of parentage.

(5) Multiple births and birth order of multiple births.

(6) Signature, and relationship to the child, of a parent or other informant, and date signed.

(7) Name, title, and mailing address of the attending physician and surgeon or principal attendant, signature, and certification of live birth by the attending physician and surgeon or principal attendant or certifier, date signed, and name and title of the certifier, if other than the attending physician and surgeon or principal attendant.

(8) Date accepted for registration and signature of local registrar.

(9) A state birth certificate number and local registration district and number.

(10) A blank space for entry of the date of death with a caption reading “Date of Death.”

(b) In addition to the items listed in subdivision (a), the certificate of live birth shall contain the following medical and social information, provided that the information is kept confidential pursuant to Sections 102430 and 102447 and is clearly labeled “Confidential Information for Public Health Use Only:”

(1) Birth weight.

(2) Pregnancy history.

(3) Race and ethnicity of the mother and any other parent.

(4) Residence address of the birth mother.

(5) A blank space for entry of census tract for the birth mother’s address.

(6) Date of first prenatal care visit, the number of prenatal care visits, and commencing January 1, 2007, the date of last prenatal care visit.

(7) Date of last normal menses and, commencing January 1, 2007, an obstetric estimate of completed weeks of gestation at delivery.

(8) Description of complications and procedures of pregnancy and concurrent illnesses, congenital malformation, and any complication or procedure of labor and delivery, including surgery, provided that this information is essential medical information and appears in total on the face of the certificate.

(9) Commencing January 1, 2007, hearing screen results.

(10) The occupations of the mother and father or parent and kind of business or industry.

(11) Education level of the mother and father or parent.

(12) Principal source of payment for prenatal care, which shall include the following: Medi-Cal, private insurance, self-pay, other sources, and any other categories determined by the State Department of Public Health.

(13) Expected principal source of payment for delivery, which shall include the following: Medi-Cal, private insurance, self-pay, other sources, and any other categories determined by the State Department of Public Health.

(14) An indication of whether or not the child’s parent desires the automatic issuance of a social security number to the child.

(15) On and after January 1, 1995, the social security numbers of the mother and father or parent, unless subdivision (d) applies.

(16) Commencing July 1, 2027, the birthplace of each parent.

(c) When an objection is made by either parent to the furnishing of the information specified in paragraphs (3), (10), and (11) of subdivision (b) for the confidential portion of the certificate of live birth, this information shall not be required to be entered on that portion of the certificate of live birth.

(d) A parent is not required to disclose the parent’s social security number as required by paragraph (15) of subdivision (b) if the parent has good cause for not disclosing the parent’s social security number. Good cause shall be defined by regulations adopted by the Department of Child Support Services.

(e) Paragraph (8) of subdivision (b) shall be completed by the attending physician and surgeon or the attending physician and surgeon’s designated representative. The names and addresses of children born with congenital malformations who require followup treatment, as determined by the child’s physician and surgeon, shall be furnished by the physician and surgeon to the local health officer, if permission is granted by either parent of the child.

(f) The parent shall only be asked to sign the form after both the public portion and the confidential medical and social information items have been entered upon the certificate of live birth.

(g) (1) The State Registrar shall instruct all local registrars to collect the information specified in this section with respect to certificates of live birth. The information shall be transcribed on the certificate of live birth in use at the time and shall be limited to the information specified in this section.

(2) Information relating to concurrent illnesses, complications and procedures of pregnancy and delivery, and congenital malformations shall be completed by the physician and surgeon, or the physician and surgeon’s designee, who shall insert in the space provided on the confidential portion of the certificate the appropriate number or numbers listed on the VS-10A supplemental worksheet. The VS-10A supplemental form shall be used as a worksheet only and shall not in any manner be linked with the identity of the child or the birth mother, nor submitted with the certificate to the State Registrar. All information transferred from the worksheet to the certificate shall be fully explained to the parent or other informant prior to the signing of the certificate. Questions relating to drug or alcohol abuse shall not be asked.

(h) (1) The Vital Statistics Advisory Committee, in accordance with Section 102465, shall conduct a review of the contents of the certificate of live birth to coincide with decennial revisions by the National Center for Health Statistics to the United States Standard Certificate of Live Birth. The Vital Statistics Advisory Committee shall make recommendations to the State Registrar regarding the adoption of modifications to the state certificate of live birth that are similar to those made to the federal certificate.

(2) Notwithstanding Section 102470, the State Registrar shall review the Vital Statistics Advisory Committee recommendations and, at the State Registrar’s discretion, shall submit to the Legislature, for approval, additions or deletions to the certificate of live birth.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 669, Sec. 1. (SB 313) Effective January 1, 2026.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 3. Live Birth Registration > 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 102465 and 102470, the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, with regard to identification of the parents, shall modify the certificate of live birth to do both of the following:

(1) Contain two lines that both read “Name of Parent.”

(2) Contain, next to each parent’s name, three checkboxes to choose from with the following options to describe the parent’s relationship to the child:

(A) Mother.

(B) Father.

(C) Parent.

(b) (1) The certificate of live birth, as described in subdivision (a), shall be used by all local registrars, deputy registrars, and subregistrars.

(2) The local registrars, deputy registrars, and subregistrars shall update all forms to incorporate the modification and discard all forms in use before the modification described in subdivision (a).

(c) The parent or informant signing the certificate of live birth pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 102425 shall determine which parent relationship designation, as described in subdivision (a), to select for each parent. The informant shall first consult with one of the parents in selecting the appropriate parent relationship designation, or, in the event that no parent is available, the informant shall not select any checkboxes.

(d) The parent relationship designations on a certificate of live birth described in subdivision (a) may be amended in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 103225) if the amendment affidavit is signed by at least one parent.

(e) For all births occurring prior to January 1, 2016, a parent may amend, in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 103225), the title of “Mother/Parent” and “Father/Parent” on the certificate of live birth to instead have one of the parent relationship designations specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).

(f) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 334, Sec. 4. (AB 1951) Effective January 1, 2015. Section operative January 1, 2016, by its own provisions.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) If the birth mother is one of the parents listed on the certificate of live birth pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 102425, the birth mother’s name, date of birth, and place of birth shall be linked to her medical and social information collected pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 102425 and paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 102426. This linkage shall be confidential and may only be accessed, as permitted under subdivision (b) of Section 102426 and Section 102430.

(b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 334, Sec. 5. (AB 1951) Effective January 1, 2015. Section operative January 1, 2016, by its own provisions.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) (1) In addition to the items of information collected pursuant to Section 102425, the State Registrar shall instruct all local registrars that have automated birth registration to electronically capture the information specified in paragraph (2), and other necessary items as the State Registrar may designate, in an electronic file. The information shall not be transcribed onto the actual hard copy of the certificate of live birth.

(2) The information required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall consist of the following:

(A) The mother’s marital status.

(B) The mother’s mailing address. The mother may designate an alternate address at her discretion.

(C) Information about whether the birth mother received food for herself during the pregnancy pursuant to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.

(D) The Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration (Apgar) scores of 5 and 10 minutes.

(E) The birth mother’s prepregnancy weight, weight at delivery, and height.

(F) Information about smoking before and during pregnancy, including the average number of cigarettes or packs of cigarettes smoked during the three months before pregnancy and the average number of cigarettes or packs of cigarettes smoked during each trimester of pregnancy.

(G) The planned place of birth and whether it was a hospital, freestanding birthing center, home delivery, clinic or physician’s office, or other specified place.

(H) The email address and mobile telephone numbers of the intended parents, if voluntarily provided by the parents, to be used for the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program pursuant to Article 19.5 (commencing with Section 69996) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(I) Assigned sex at birth of the child.

(3) Subparagraphs (B) to (F), inclusive, of paragraph (2) shall become operative on January 1, 2007.

(b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, information collected pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) shall not under any circumstances be disclosed or available to anyone, except for both of the following:

(1) The State Department of Public Health and the Department of Child Support Services for demographic and statistical analysis. The Department of Child Support Services shall keep information received pursuant to this subdivision confidential in accordance with Section 17212 of the Family Code.

(2) The federal government, without any personal identifying information, for demographic and statistical analysis.

(c) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, information collected pursuant subparagraph (H) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), if voluntarily provided by the parents, shall not under any circumstances be disclosed or available to anyone except for the Scholarshare Investment Board created pursuant to Section 69984 of the Education Code. The information shall be collected as long as the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program is operational and actively opening new KIDS accounts, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 69996.2 of the Education Code, for eligible children.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 577, Sec. 3. (AB 218) Effective January 1, 2022.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) The second section of the certificate of live birth as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 102425, the electronic file of birth information collected pursuant to subparagraphs (B) to (I), inclusive, of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 102426, the birth mother linkage collected pursuant to Section 102425.2, and the second section of the certificate of fetal death as specified in Section 103025, are confidential. Access to the confidential portion of any certificate of live birth or fetal death, the electronic file of birth information collected pursuant to subparagraphs (B) to (I), inclusive, of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 102426, and the birth mother linkage collected pursuant to Section 102425.2 shall be limited to the following:

(1) Department staff.

(2) Local registrar’s staff and local health department staff when approved by the local registrar or local health officer, respectively.

(3) The county coroner.

(4) Persons with a valid scientific interest as determined by the State Registrar, who are engaged in demographic, epidemiological, or other similar studies related to health, and who agree to maintain confidentiality as prescribed by this part and by regulation of the State Registrar.

(5) The parent who signed the certificate or, if no parent signed the certificate, the mother.

(6) The person named on the certificate.

(7) A person who has petitioned to adopt the person named on the certificate of live birth, subject to Section 102705 of the Health and Safety Code and Sections 9200 and 9203 of the Family Code.

(8) The following state government departments requesting the information for official government business purposes as deemed appropriate by the State Registrar, that agree to maintain confidentiality as prescribed by this part:

(A) The State Department of Public Health.

(B) The State Department of Health Care Services.

(C) The Department of Finance. This section shall not be construed as a limitation of the authority granted to the Department of Finance in Sections 13073 to 13073.5, inclusive, of the Government Code.

(D) The Scholarshare Investment Board, for the purpose of implementing the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program pursuant to Article 19.5 (commencing with Section 69996) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, as long as the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program is operational and actively opening new KIDS accounts, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 69996.2 of the Education Code, for eligible children.

(E) The Department of Health Care Access and Information.

(9) The birth hospital responsible for preparing and submitting a record of the birth or fetal death for purposes of reviewing and correcting birth or fetal death records. The birth hospital shall not further disclose the information nor use the information for purposes other than allowed by this part.

(b) (1) The department shall maintain an accurate record of all persons who are given access to the confidential portion of the certificates. The record shall include all of the following:

(A) The name of the person authorizing access.

(B) The name, title, and organizational affiliation of persons given access.

(C) The dates of access.

(D) The specific purpose for which the information is to be used.

(2) The record of access shall be open to public inspection during normal operating hours of the department.

(c) All research proposed to be conducted using the confidential medical and social information on the birth certificate or fetal death certificate shall first be reviewed by the appropriate committee constituted for the protection of human subjects that is approved by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and has a general assurance pursuant to Part 46 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Information shall not be released until the request for information has been reviewed by the Vital Statistics Advisory Committee and the committee has recommended to the State Registrar that the information shall be released.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 577, Sec. 4. (AB 218) Effective January 1, 2022.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text: Notwithstanding Sections 102425 and 102430, the department may transmit to the Social Security Administration the information necessary to issue a social security number to a child in a case where the child’s parent has requested the issuance pursuant to paragraph (14) of subdivision (b) of Section 102425.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 430, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2006.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
After public hearing and consultation with the Vital Statistics Advisory Committee, the State Registrar shall adopt regulations specifying the contents of a medical and health report and shall supply the necessary forms to hospitals and local registrars. The contents of the report shall be limited to the medical, health, or social data necessary to evaluate or improve maternal and child health, as determined by the State Registrar.

The State Registrar shall make a finding that the specific items of information included in the report are not available from other sources at a comparable cost and that sufficient resources and a research design are available to analyze the data collected.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text: Notwithstanding Section 102430, a parent’s social security number contained in the confidential medical and social information portion of the child’s certificate of live birth shall be accessible to the State Department of Child Support Services and local child support agencies for the purposes of operating the Child Support Enforcement Program, as specified in Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 808, Sec. 108. Effective September 28, 2000.)

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) For each registration of live birth submitted to the local registrar pursuant to Section 102400, the hospital administrator, or the person’s representative, shall submit a completed medical and health report that meets the requirements of Section 102445. For live births that occur outside of a hospital, the medical and health report shall be completed and submitted by the local registrar when the local registrar receives the certificate of live birth for registration from the person designated in Section 102415.

(b) The medical and health report shall be submitted to the State Registrar by the local registrar for filing. Such report shall not be kept on file in the offices of the local registrars.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) The medical and health report required pursuant to Section 102445 shall be clearly labeled “Confidential Information for Public Health Use Only.” The parent or informant shall be informed of the purposes for collecting the information, its confidential nature, and that completing the specific items is voluntary.

(b) When objection is made by either parent to the furnishing of information requested in a specific item or items in the medical and health report that information shall not be entered.

(c) The mother, father or child shall not be identified by name or any other means in the medical and health report.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
With the exception of statistical tabulation purposes, the medical and health report shall be kept confidential and access to the report shall be limited to the following persons:

(a) State and local registrar’s staff.

(b) State and local health department staff.

(c) Persons with a valid educational or scientific interest, as determined by the State Registrar, who are engaged in demographic and epidemiological studies for health purposes.

The department shall maintain an accurate record of all persons who are given access to the report. The record shall include: the name of the persons authorizing access; name, title, and organizational affiliation of persons given access; dates of access; and specific purpose for which information is to be used. The record of access shall be open to public inspection during normal operating hours of the department.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) The State Registrar shall appoint a Vital Statistics Advisory Committee that shall have the following duties:

(1) Review and make recommendations to the State Registrar as to the adequacy of procedures to assure accuracy and confidentiality of personal health and medical information.

(2) Review the findings of the committee for the protection of human subjects pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 102430 and make recommendations to the State Registrar regarding all requests for studies that propose to use confidential information with respect to whether a legitimate scientific interest is presented and whether the significance of the project justifies use of the confidential information.

(3) Assure that all research conducted using the data from birth certificates is consistent with guidelines provided by an appropriately constituted committee for the protection of human subjects of the department, as specified in subdivision (c) of Section 102430.

(4) Review and make recommendations to the State Registrar as to proposals for addition or deletion of items on the certificate of live birth and advise the State Registrar on the content and format of the certificate.

(5) Take testimony and make recommendations to the State Registrar regarding changes in the birth registration system.

(b) The Vital Statistics Advisory Committee shall include representatives from the users, providers, and informant groups who are involved in the process of the provision and collection of information for and the use of the certificate of live birth, and shall include the chairpersons of the Assembly Health Committee and the Senate Health and Welfare Committee or their designated representative, and shall have a majority of lay persons in its composition. The State Registrar shall make every effort to ensure that committee membership is representative of the community at large. Consideration shall be given to providing access to relevant classes of persons including, but not limited to, women, men, racial and ethnic minorities, in proportion to their representation in the affected population.

Membership on the committee shall be for a term of three years, appointments to be made on a staggered basis to allow for one-third membership to change annually.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text: The State Registrar shall publish within 30 days of receipt of recommendations by the Vital Statistics Advisory Committee, made pursuant to Section 102465, (1) a list of the recommendations adopted, and (2) a list of the recommendations not adopted, with reasons for the action.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text:
(a) Any person who releases a copy of the confidential portion of the certificate of live birth, except as specifically provided by this part, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500) or six months in jail. The criminal penalty shall not preclude suit for civil or punitive damages by any individuals harmed by the unauthorized release.

(b) Any person who is the subject of, or the source of information for, a birth certificate, who has reason to believe there has been linkage of confidential information with his or her identity and disclosure of the confidential information to a person not specified in subdivision (a) of Section 102430, shall have a civil right of action against the person releasing the information and may seek punitive damages.

article: 2. Content of Certificate of Live Birth


text: A certificate of finding of an unidentified live child of less than one year of age shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths by the person or institution with whom the child is placed, within four days following the finding.

article: 3. Foundling Registration

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 3. Live Birth Registration > 3. Foundling Registration


text: The certificate shall include the name, sex, color or race, the date and place of finding, and the name of the person or institution with whom the child is placed.

article: 3. Foundling Registration


text: The person or institution with whom the child is placed shall give the child a name; the place in which the child is found shall be known as the legal place of birth; and the date of birth shall be determined as closely as possible and shall be known as the legal date of birth.

article: 3. Foundling Registration


text: The certificate of finding shall be handled in the same manner and shall serve all the purposes of a certificate of live birth.

article: 3. Foundling Registration


text: If the child is later identified and a certificate of birth found or obtained, the fact shall be reported to the State Registrar and he or she shall enter this upon the certificate of finding, with citation to the certificate of birth.

article: 3. Foundling Registration


text: This chapter is not exclusive of Chapters 3 (commencing with Section 102400) and 12 (commencing with Section 103450), but offer an alternative method of establishing a record of birth.

chapter: 4. Delayed Registration of Birth

article: 1. General Provisions

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 4. Delayed Registration of Birth > 1. General Provisions


text: Delayed certificates of birth issued pursuant to this chapter shall not be considered as evidence in any action or proceeding involving estates of decedents or in any proceeding to establish heirship unless the affidavit of at least one person who knew the facts was filed at the time of obtaining the certificate.

article: 1. General Provisions


text: An application may be filed with the State Registrar for the delayed registration of birth of any person born in this state whose birth is not registered. The application may be made only by the person whose birth is being registered if he or she is 18 years of age or over at the time of filing the application. If the person whose birth is being registered is under 18 years of age at the time of filing the application, the application may be made only by his or her mother, father, legal guardian, or the attending physician or principal attendant at birth.

article: 1. General Provisions


text: The application shall be made on the forms prescribed and furnished by the State Registrar and shall contain information and shall be accompanied by affidavits and documentary evidence as required to enable the State Registrar to determine whether the birth did in fact occur at the place and date alleged.

article: 2. Application

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 4. Delayed Registration of Birth > 2. Application


text: “Affidavit,” as used in this chapter, is defined as a written statement executed under oath by a person who at the time of birth was at least 5 years old and had knowledge of the facts of birth and shall include the full name of the person whose birth is being registered, the names of his or her parents, the date and place of his or her birth and the basis of the affiant’s knowledge of these facts.

article: 3. Evidence

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 4. Delayed Registration of Birth > 3. Evidence


text: “Documentary evidence,” as used in this chapter, is defined as original or certified copies of a record that was executed at least five years prior to the date of application, and that substantiates the date and place of birth of the person whose birth is being registered; except that if the person whose birth is being registered is under 12 years of age the record shall have been executed only at least two years before the date of application. Examples of documentary evidence that shall generally be considered acceptable are hospital records of birth, baptismal certificates or other church records, school records, census records, social security records, military service records, voting registration records, birth certificate of child of person whose birth is being registered, certificates of registry of marriage, and newspaper notices of birth.

article: 3. Evidence


text:
For births that are being registered under this chapter there shall be required documentary evidence and affidavits pursuant to one of the following:

(a) Two pieces of documentary evidence, at least one of which shall support the parentage.

(b) One piece of documentary evidence and one affidavit executed by the physician or other principal attendant.

(c) One piece of documentary evidence and two affidavits executed by either the mother, father, or other persons having knowledge of the facts of birth.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1023, Sec. 304.4. Effective September 29, 1996.)

article: 3. Evidence


text:
(a) Upon receipt by the State Registrar of an application for delayed registration of birth and payment of the required fee, he or she shall review the application together with the affidavits and documentary evidence accompanying it and shall accept the application if the application and evidence submitted comply with this chapter. After acceptance by the State Registrar the application shall constitute a delayed certificate of birth, and the State Registrar shall permanently preserve the certificates in a systematic manner and shall prepare and maintain a comprehensive and continuous index of all the certificates.

(b) In processing applications for the delayed registration of birth pursuant to this section, the State Registrar shall give priority to an application for a child who has been adjudged a dependent child of, and who is subject to the jurisdiction of, the juvenile court, pursuant to Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 315, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)

article: 4. Registration

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 4. Delayed Registration of Birth > 4. Registration


text: The State Registrar shall send a certified copy of the delayed certificate of birth to the applicant without additional cost.

article: 4. Registration


text: The State Registrar shall send certified copies of the delayed certificate of birth to the local registrar and the county recorder within which area the birth occurred and in whose offices copies of records of the year of occurrence of the event are on file.

article: 4. Registration


text: The clerk of the court shall complete a report upon a form provided for that purpose and forward the report to the State Registrar within five days after a decree of adoption has been entered declaring a child legally adopted by any court in the state. The report shall be forwarded within five days after an interlocutory decree of adoption becomes a final decree of adoption, and not earlier.

article: 1. Adoption

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 5. Certificates of Birth Following Adoption, Legitimation, Court Determination of Parentage, and Acknowledgment > 1. Adoption


text: The court reports of adoption that are received by the State Registrar for births that occurred in another state, the District of Columbia, in any territory of the United States, or Canada shall be transmitted to the registration authority of the place of birth.

chapter: 5. Certificates of Birth Following Adoption, Legitimation, Court Determination of Parentage, and Acknowledgment

article: 1. Adoption


text:
A new birth certificate shall be established by the State Registrar upon receipt of either of the following:

(a) A report of adoption from any court of record that has jurisdiction of the child in this state, another state, the District of Columbia, in any territory of the United States, or in any foreign country, for any child born in California and whose certificate of birth is on file in the office of the State Registrar.

(b) A readoption order issued pursuant to Section 8919 of the Family Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 809, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007.)

article: 1. Adoption


text: When requested by the adopting parent or parents, a new certificate shall not be established by the State Registrar.

article: 1. Adoption


text: The new birth certificate shall bear the name of the child as shown in the report of adoption, the names and ages of his or her adopting parents, the date and place of birth, and no reference shall be made in the new birth certificate to the adoption of the child. The new certificate shall be identical with a birth certificate registered for the birth of a child of natural parents, except, when requested by the adopting parents, the new birth certificate shall not include the specific name and address of the hospital or other facility where the birth occurred, the color and race of the parents, or both.

article: 1. Adoption


text: Notwithstanding other provisions in this article, when a child is adopted by an unmarried man or woman, the new certificate shall, if the adopting parent so requests, reflect the fact that it is a single-parent adoption.

article: 1. Adoption


text: If both adopting parents were in the home at the time of the initial placement of the child for adoption the newly amended birth record may include the names of both adopting parents despite the death of one of the adopting parents, upon receipt of an order from the court granting the adoption that directs under the authority of Section 8615 of the Family Code that the names of both adopting parents shall be included on the newly amended birth record.

article: 1. Adoption


text: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an adopting parent who has adopted a child for whom an amended record has already been prepared under authority of this article may have another amended record prepared for the child, upon application, furnishing a copy of the court order made in an action brought pursuant to Section 8615 of the Family Code, and payment of the required fee.

article: 1. Adoption


text:
At any time after the issuance of a new birth certificate another amended certificate may be issued, at the request of the adopting parents, that omits any or all of the following:

(a) The specific name and address of the hospital or other facility where the birth occurred.

(b) The city and county of birth.

(c) The color and race of the parents.

article: 1. Adoption


text: The new birth certificate shall supplant any birth certificate previously registered for the child and shall be the only birth certificate open to public inspection.

article: 1. Adoption


text: When a new birth certificate is established under this article, the State Registrar shall inform the local registrar and the county recorder whose records contain copies of the original certificate, who shall forward the copies to the State Registrar for filing with the original certificate, if it is practical for him or her to do so. If it is impractical for him or her to forward the copy to the State Registrar, he or she shall effectually seal a cover over the copy in a manner as not to deface or destroy the copy and forward a verified statement of his or her action to the State Registrar. Thereafter the information contained in the record shall be available only as provided in this article.

article: 1. Adoption


text: For court reports of adoptions received from any court of record of this State, another state, the District of Columbia, or in any territory of the United States, that has jurisdiction of a child born in this State and for whom no original record of birth is on file in the Office of the State Registrar the court report of adoption shall constitute a court order delayed birth registration; provided, the court report contains a statement of the date and place of birth.

article: 1. Adoption


text: A court report of adoption received from any court of record in this State, wherein the birth occurred outside the United States, the Territories of the United States, or Canada shall constitute a court order delayed registration of birth; provided, the court report contains a statement of the date and place of birth.

article: 1. Adoption


text: The court report of adoption shall be filed with the original record of birth, that shall remain as a part of the records of the State Registrar.

article: 1. Adoption


text:
All records and information specified in this article, other than the newly issued birth certificate, shall be available only upon the order of the superior court of the county of residence of the adopted child or the superior court of the county granting the order of adoption.

No such order shall be granted by the superior court unless a verified petition setting forth facts showing the necessity of the order has been presented to the court and good and compelling cause is shown for the granting of the order. The clerk of the superior court shall send a copy of the petition to the State Department of Social Services and the department shall send a copy of all records and information it has concerning the adopted person with the name and address of the natural parents removed to the court. The court must review these records before making an order and the order should so state. If the petition is by or on behalf of an adopted child who has attained majority, these facts shall be given great weight, but the granting of any petition is solely within the sound discretion of the court.

The name and address of the natural parents shall be given to the petitioner only if he or she can demonstrate that the name and address, or either of them, are necessary to assist him or her in establishing a legal right.

article: 1. Adoption


text: The State Registrar shall furnish a certified copy of the newly amended record of birth prepared under authority of this article to the registrant without additional cost.

article: 1. Adoption


text: Whenever the existence or nonexistence of the parent and child relationship has been determined by a court of this state or a court of another state, and upon receipt of a certified copy of the court order, application, and payment of the required fee, the State Registrar shall establish a new birth certificate for the child in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 102625), if the original record of birth is on file in the office of the State Registrar.

article: 2. Adjudication of Facts of Parentage

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 5. Certificates of Birth Following Adoption, Legitimation, Court Determination of Parentage, and Acknowledgment > 2. Adjudication of Facts of Parentage


text: All records and information specified in this article, other than the newly issued birth certificate, shall be available only upon order of a court of record.

article: 2. Adjudication of Facts of Parentage


article: 2. Adjudication of Facts of Parentage


text: Whenever the mother and the other genetic parent or intended parent acknowledges parentage of a child by affidavit, and in the absence of conflicting information on the originally registered certificate of live birth, an application including the affidavits may be filed with the office of the State Registrar upon a form provided for that purpose.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 539, Sec. 7. (AB 785) Effective January 1, 2020.)

article: 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 5. Certificates of Birth Following Adoption, Legitimation, Court Determination of Parentage, and Acknowledgment > 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity


text: Upon receipt of the application and payment of the required fee, and in the absence of conflicting information on the originally registered certificate of live birth, the State Registrar shall review the application for acceptance for filing, and if accepted shall establish a new birth certificate for the child in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 102625), if the original record of birth is on file in the office of the State Registrar.

article: 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity


article: 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity


text: The State Registrar shall furnish a certified copy of the new record of birth prepared under authority of this article to the registrant with additional cost.

article: 3. Acknowledgement of Paternity


text:
(a) When a voluntary declaration of parentage is filed with the Department of Child Support Services pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 7571 of the Family Code, an application may be submitted to the State Registrar requesting that the signatory’s name be added to the child’s birth certificate.

(b) Upon receipt of the application and payment of the required fee, the State Registrar shall review the application for acceptance for filing and, if accepted, shall establish a new birth certificate for the child in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 102625), if the original record of birth is on file in the office of the State Registrar.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 539, Sec. 8. (AB 785) Effective January 1, 2020.)

article: 4. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 5. Certificates of Birth Following Adoption, Legitimation, Court Determination of Parentage, and Acknowledgment > 4. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage


text:
(a) When a voluntary declaration of parentage is rescinded pursuant to Section 7575 of the Family Code, an application may be submitted to the State Registrar requesting that the signatory’s name be removed from the child’s birth certificate.

(b) Upon receipt of the application and payment of the required fee, the State Registrar shall establish a new birth certificate for the child in the manner prescribed in Article 1 (commencing with Section 102625), if the original record of birth is on file in the office of the State Registrar.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 876, Sec. 74. (AB 2684) Effective January 1, 2019.)

article: 4. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage


text: All records and information specified in this article, other than the newly established certificate, shall be available only to those persons specified in subdivision (i) of Section 7571 of the Family Code or upon order of a court of record.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 539, Sec. 9. (AB 785) Effective January 1, 2020.)

article: 4. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage


text: The State Registrar shall furnish a certified copy of the new record of birth prepared under authority of this article to the registrant without additional cost.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1062, Sec. 19.5. Effective January 1, 1997.)

article: 4. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage


text: Each death shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found, within eight calendar days after death and prior to any disposition of the human remains.

chapter: 6. Death Registration

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 6. Death Registration > 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) On or before January 1, 2005, the department shall implement an Internet-based electronic death registration system for the creation, storage, and transfer of death registration information.

(b) The electronic death registration system implemented pursuant to this section shall protect the proper use of the death registration information created, stored, and transferred within the system.

(c) The electronic death registration system that is implemented pursuant to this section shall be subject to any limitation placed on the accessibility and release of personally identifying information contained in those death records by any other provision of law or subsequently enacted legislation.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 857, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text: A funeral director, or person acting in lieu thereof, shall prepare the certificate and register it with the local registrar.

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
The State Registrar, at his or her discretion, may incorporate computer or telephone facsimile technology, or both, in the statewide program of death and fetal death registration, including, but not limited to, the issuing of permits for disposition of human remains.

Nothing in this section shall limit the ability of local districts to file certificates of death and fetal death manually within the local registration districts.

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text: The funeral director shall obtain the required information other than medical and health section data from the person or source best qualified to supply this information.

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) (1) The State Department of Public Health shall access data within the electronic death registration system implemented pursuant to Section 102778 to compile a report on veteran suicide in California. The report shall include, but may not be limited to, information on the ages, sexes, races or ethnicities, counties of residence, and methods of suicide of veterans.

(2) The report shall include a cross-tabulation of the data specified in paragraph (1), and shall compare the data to the data from the previous year.

(b) (1) The department shall, notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, annually provide the report compiled pursuant to subdivision (a) to the Legislature and the Department of Veterans Affairs on or before March 15 each year.

(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 77, Sec. 1. (AB 3371) Effective January 1, 2021.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) (1) The State Department of Public Health shall access data within the electronic death registration system implemented pursuant to Section 102778 to compile a report on veteran drug overdose deaths in California. The report shall include, but may not be limited to, information on the ages, sexes, races or ethnicities, counties of residence, and drug or drugs causing overdose deaths of veterans.

(2) The report shall include a cross-tabulation of the data specified in paragraph (1) and shall compare the data to the data from the previous year.

(b) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the department shall annually provide the report compiled pursuant to subdivision (a) to the Legislature and the Department of Veterans Affairs on or before March 15 each year.

(2) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(c) The California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard, maintained by the State Department of Public Health on its internet website, shall be updated to reflect veteran status in information reported about deaths.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 80, Sec. 95. (SB 1525) Effective January 1, 2025.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) The medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon last in attendance, or in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or by a licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the physician and surgeon last in attendance if the physician and surgeon or licensed physician assistant is legally authorized to certify and attest to these facts, and if the physician assistant has visited the patient within 72 hours of the patient’s death. In the event the licensed physician assistant certifies the medical and health section data and the time of death, then the physician assistant shall also provide on the document the name of the last attending physician and surgeon and provide the coroner with a copy of the certificate of death. However, the medical health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the coroner in those cases in which they are required to complete the medical and health section data and certify and attest to these facts.

(b) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 1. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 2 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) The medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner last in attendance.

(b) In the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, the medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner last in attendance or by a licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the physician and surgeon last in attendance if the physician and surgeon or licensed physician assistant is legally authorized to certify and attest to these facts and if the physician assistant has visited the patient within 72 hours of the patient’s death. If the licensed physician assistant certifies the medical and health section data and the time of death, then the physician assistant shall also provide on the document the name of the last attending physician and surgeon and provide the coroner with a copy of the certificate of death. However, the medical health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the coroner in a case in which they are required to complete the medical and health section data and certify and attest to these facts.

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.

history: (History: Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 2. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) The medical and health section data and the physician’s or coroner’s certification shall be completed by the attending physician within 15 hours after the death, or by the coroner within three days after examination of the body.

The physician shall within 15 hours after the death deposit the certificate at the place of death, or deliver it to the attending funeral director at their place of business or at the office of the physician.

(b) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 3. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 4 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) The medical and health section data and the physician’s, nurse practitioner’s, or coroner’s certification shall be completed by the attending physician or nurse practitioner within 15 hours after the death or by the coroner within three days after examination of the body.

(b) The physician or nurse practitioner shall, within 15 hours after the death, deposit the certificate at the place of death or deliver it to the attending funeral director at their place of business or at the office of the physician or nurse practitioner.

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.

history: (History: Repealed (in Sec. 3) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 4. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text: An embalmer may authorize his or her signature to be affixed to the certificate after he or she has embalmed a body, as required by this chapter, by a written special power of attorney that shall be retained for a period of one year.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)

article: 1. Duty of Registering Death


text:
(a) The physician and surgeon last in attendance, or in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, the physician and surgeon last in attendance or a licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the physician and surgeon last in attendance, on a deceased person shall state on the certificate of death the disease or condition directly leading to death, antecedent causes, other significant conditions contributing to death and any other medical and health section data as may be required on the certificate; they shall also specify the time in attendance, the time they last saw the deceased person alive, and the hour and day on which death occurred, except in deaths required to be investigated by the coroner. The physician and surgeon or physician assistant shall specifically indicate the existence of any cancer as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 103885, of which the physician and surgeon or physician assistant has actual knowledge.

(b) A physician and surgeon may designate, one or more other physicians and surgeons who have access to the physician and surgeon’s records, to act as agent for the physician and surgeon for purposes of the performance of their duties under this section, provided that any person so designated acts in consultation with the physician and surgeon.

(c) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 5. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 6 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.)

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 6. Death Registration > 2. Responsibility of Attending Physician


text:
(a) The physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner last in attendance, or in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, the physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner last in attendance or a licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the physician and surgeon last in attendance, on a deceased person shall state on the certificate of death the disease or condition directly leading to death, antecedent causes, other significant conditions contributing to death, and any other medical and health section data as may be required on the certificate.

(b) The individuals identified in subdivision (a) shall also specify all of the following on the certificate:

(1) The time in attendance.

(2) The time they last saw the deceased person alive.

(3) The hour and day on which the death occurred, except in a death required to be investigated by the coroner.

(c) The physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant shall specifically indicate the existence of cancer, as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 103885, of which the physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant has actual knowledge.

(d) A physician and surgeon may designate one or more other physicians and surgeons who have access to the physician and surgeon’s records to act as agent for the physician and surgeon for purposes of the performance of their duties under this section, provided that a person so designated acts in consultation with the physician and surgeon.

(e) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.

history: (History: Repealed (in Sec. 5) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 6. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

article: 2. Responsibility of Attending Physician


text:
A physician and surgeon, physician assistant, funeral director, or other person shall immediately notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death that occurred or has charge of a body in which death occurred under any of the following circumstances:

(a) Without medical attendance.

(b) During the continued absence of the attending physician and surgeon.

(c) Where the attending physician and surgeon or the physician assistant is unable to state the cause of death.

(d) Where suicide is suspected.

(e) Following an injury or an accident.

(f) Under circumstances as to afford a reasonable ground to suspect that the death was caused by the criminal act of another.

A person who does not notify the coroner as required by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 7. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 8 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.)

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 6. Death Registration > 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text:
(a) A physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, funeral director, or other person shall immediately notify the coroner if they have knowledge of a death that occurred or have charge of a body in which death occurred under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Without medical attendance.

(2) During the continued absence of the attending physician and surgeon.

(3) If the attending physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, or the physician assistant is unable to state the cause of death.

(4) If suicide is suspected.

(5) Following an injury or an accident.

(6) Under circumstances as to afford a reasonable ground to suspect that the death was caused by the criminal act of another.

(b) A person who does not notify the coroner as required by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.

history: (History: Repealed (in Sec. 7) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 8. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text: The coroner whose duty it is to investigate such deaths shall ascertain as many as possible of the facts required by this chapter.

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text:
The coroner shall state on the certificate of death the disease or condition directly leading to death, antecedent causes, other significant conditions contributing to death and other medical and health section data as may be required on the certificate, and the hour and day on which death occurred. The coroner shall specifically indicate the existence of any cancer, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 103885, of which he or she has actual knowledge.

The coroner shall within three days after examining the body deliver the death certificate to the attending funeral director.

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text: In any case involving an infant under the age of one year where the gross autopsy results in a presumed diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome, the coroner shall, within 24 hours of the gross autopsy, notify the local health officer, as defined in Section 123740.

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text:
(a) In deaths investigated by the coroner or medical examiner where he or she is unable to establish the identity of the body or human remains by visual means, fingerprints, or other identifying data, the coroner or medical examiner may have a qualified dentist, as determined by the coroner or medical examiner, carry out a dental examination of the body or human remains. If the coroner or medical examiner with the aid of the dental examination and other identifying findings is still unable to establish the identity of the body or human remains, he or she shall prepare and forward the dental examination records to the Department of Justice on forms supplied by the Department of Justice for that purpose.

(b) The Department of Justice shall act as a repository or computer center, or both, with respect to dental examination records and the final report of investigation specified in Section 27521 of the Government Code. The Department of Justice shall compare the dental examination records and the final report of investigation, if applicable, to records filed with the Violent Crime Information Center (Title 12 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 4 of the Penal Code), shall determine which scoring probabilities are the highest for purposes of identification, and shall submit the information to the coroner or medical examiner who submitted the dental examination records and the final report of investigation, if applicable.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 284, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2001.)

article: 3. Responsibility of Coroner


text:
The certificate of death shall be divided into two sections.

(a) The first section shall contain those items necessary to establish the fact of the death, including all of the following and those other items as the State Registrar may designate:

(1) (A) Personal data of the decedent including full name, sex, color or race, marital status, name of spouse, date of birth and age at death, birthplace, usual residence, occupation and industry or business, and whether the decedent was ever in the Armed Forces of the United States.

(B) A person completing the certificate shall record the decedent’s sex to reflect the decedent’s gender identity as female, male, or nonbinary. The decedent’s gender identity shall be reported by the informant, unless the person completing the certificate is presented with a birth certificate, a driver’s license, a social security record, a court order approving a name or gender change, a passport, an advanced health care directive, or proof of clinical treatment for gender transition, in which case the person completing the certificate shall record the decedent’s sex as that which corresponds to the decedent’s gender identity as indicated in that document. If none of these documents are presented and the person with the right, or a majority of persons who have equal rights, to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100 is in disagreement with the gender identity reported by the informant, the gender identity of the decedent recorded on the death certificate shall be as reported by that person or majority of persons.

(C) If a document specified in subparagraph (B) is not presented and a majority of persons who have equal rights to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100 do not agree with the gender identity of the decedent as reported by the informant, any one of those persons may file a petition, in the superior court in the county in which the decedent resided at the time of the decedent’s death, or in which the remains are located, naming as a party to the action those persons who otherwise have equal rights to control the disposition and seeking an order of the court determining, as appropriate, who among those parties shall determine the gender identity of the decedent.

(D) A person completing the death certificate in compliance with subparagraph (B) is not liable for any damages or costs arising from claims related to the sex of the decedent as entered on the certificate of death.

(E) A person completing the death certificate shall comply with the data and certification requirements described in Section 102800 by using the information available to the person prior to the deadlines for completion specified in that section.

(2) Date of death, including month, day, and year.

(3) Place of death.

(4) (A) Current first and middle names, birth last names, and the birthplaces of the parents, without reference to the parents’ gendered relationship to the decedent.

(B) The State Registrar shall electronically capture the following information, which shall not be transcribed onto the actual hard copy of the death certificate:

(i) The parents’ relationship to the decedent.

(ii) Any additional last names used by the parents, if any.

(C) The State Registrar shall implement the changes made by the act that added this subparagraph no later than July 1, 2024.

(5) Informant.

(6) Disposition of body information, including signature and license number of embalmer, if the body is embalmed, or name of embalmer if affixed by attorney-in-fact; name of funeral director, or person acting as such; and date and place of interment or removal. Notwithstanding any other law, an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar may be used in lieu of the actual signature of the embalmer.

(7) Certification and signature of attending physician and surgeon or certification and signature of coroner when required to act by law. Notwithstanding any other law, the person completing the portion of the certificate setting forth the cause of death may attest to its accuracy by use of an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.

(8) Date accepted for registration and signature of local registrar. Notwithstanding any other law, the local registrar may elect to use an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.

(b) The second section shall contain those items relating to medical and health data, including all of the following and other items as the State Registrar may designate:

(1) Disease or conditions leading directly to death and antecedent causes.

(2) Operations and major findings thereof.

(3) Accident and injury information.

(4) Information indicating whether the decedent was pregnant at the time of death, or within a year prior to the death, if known, as determined by observation, autopsy, or review of the medical record. The electronic death registration system shall capture additional information regarding the pregnancy status of the decedent consistent with the data elements on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to require the performance of a pregnancy test on a decedent, or to require a review of medical records in order to determine pregnancy.

(c) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 9. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 10 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.)

article: 4. Content of Certificate of Death

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 6. Death Registration > 4. Content of Certificate of Death


text:
The certificate of death shall be divided into two sections:

(a) The first section shall contain those items necessary to establish the fact of the death, including all of the following and those other items as the State Registrar may designate:

(1) (A) Personal data of the decedent including full name, sex, color or race, marital status, name of spouse, date of birth and age at death, birthplace, usual residence, occupation and industry or business, and whether the decedent was ever in the Armed Forces of the United States.

(B) A person completing the certificate shall record the decedent’s sex to reflect the decedent’s gender identity as female, male, or nonbinary. The decedent’s gender identity shall be reported by the informant, unless the person completing the certificate is presented with a birth certificate, a driver’s license, a social security record, a court order approving a name or gender change, a passport, an advanced health care directive, or proof of clinical treatment for gender transition, in which case the person completing the certificate shall record the decedent’s sex as that which corresponds to the decedent’s gender identity as indicated in that document. If none of these documents are presented and the person with the right, or a majority of persons who have equal rights, to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100 is in disagreement with the gender identity reported by the informant, the gender identity of the decedent recorded on the death certificate shall be as reported by that person or majority of persons.

(C) If a document specified in subparagraph (B) is not presented and a majority of persons who have equal rights to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100 do not agree with the gender identity of the decedent as reported by the informant, any one of those persons may file a petition, in the superior court in the county in which the decedent resided at the time of the decedent’s death, or in which the remains are located, naming as a party to the action those persons who otherwise have equal rights to control the disposition and seeking an order of the court determining, as appropriate, who among those parties shall determine the gender identity of the decedent.

(D) A person completing the death certificate in compliance with subparagraph (B) is not liable for any damages or costs arising from claims related to the sex of the decedent as entered on the certificate of death.

(E) A person completing the death certificate shall comply with the data and certification requirements described in Section 102800 by using the information available to the person prior to the deadlines for completion specified in that section.

(2) Date of death, including month, day, and year.

(3) Place of death.

(4) (A) Current first and middle names, birth last names, and the birthplaces of the parents, without reference to the parents’ gendered relationship to the decedent.

(B) The State Registrar shall electronically capture the following information, which shall not be transcribed onto the actual hard copy of the death certificate:

(i) The parents’ relationship to the decedent.

(ii) Additional last names used by the parents, if any.

(C) The State Registrar shall implement the changes made by the act that added this subparagraph no later than July 1, 2024.

(5) Informant.

(6) Disposition of body information, including signature and license number of embalmer, if the body is embalmed, or name of embalmer if affixed by attorney-in-fact; name of funeral director, or person acting as such; and date and place of interment or removal. Notwithstanding any other law, an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar may be used in lieu of the actual signature of the embalmer.

(7) Certification and signature of attending physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner or certification and signature of coroner when required to act by law. Notwithstanding any other law, the person completing the portion of the certificate setting forth the cause of death may attest to its accuracy by use of an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.

(8) Date accepted for registration and signature of local registrar. Notwithstanding any other law, the local registrar may elect to use an electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity, approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.

(b) The second section shall contain those items relating to medical and health data, including all of the following and other items as the State Registrar may designate:

(1) Disease or conditions leading directly to death and antecedent causes.

(2) Operations and major findings thereof.

(3) Accident and injury information.

(4) Information indicating whether the decedent was pregnant at the time of death, or within a year prior to the death, if known, as determined by observation, autopsy, or review of the medical record. The electronic death registration system shall capture additional information regarding the pregnancy status of the decedent consistent with the data elements on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to require the performance of a pregnancy test on a decedent, or to require a review of medical records in order to determine pregnancy.

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.

history: (History: Repealed (in Sec. 9) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 10. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

article: 4. Content of Certificate of Death


text:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Birth and death certificate-linking studies done by the department in 1974 and repeated in 1984, show unacceptably high rates of error in the completion of death certificate information recording ethnicity for American Indian infants.

(b) Official vital data on deaths for American Indians in the State of California indicate an implausible death rate equal to one-half of the United States rate for all races and one-quarter of the rate for American Indians in all states.

(c) Good demographic data on the American Indian people within the state does not exist and the data that does exist is fragmented and difficult to access and compile.

(d) The lack of accurate vital data on American Indians in California results in a significant loss of federal funds for the provision of health care and promotion services to American Indian people residing in 37 rural counties within the state.

article: 5. American Indians

path: 102. VITAL RECORDS AND HEALTH STATISTICS > 1. VITAL RECORDS > 6. Death Registration > 5. American Indians


text:
(a) The Rural Health Division of the department shall cause to be undertaken a three-year study for the purpose of establishing more valid statistics regarding American Indian death rates, including rates for the 10 leading causes of death for American Indians within the 37 designated rural Indian counties as follows: Humboldt, Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, Del Norte, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Glenn, Butte, Colusa, Plumas, Yuba, Yolo, Tehama, Sutter, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Tulare, Tuolumne, Amador, Mariposa, Calaveras, Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mono, Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, Lassen, Santa Barbara, Trinity, and San Diego.

(b) This study shall enlist the fullest possible participation of the Indian community and specifically the Indian clinics currently providing health care services to rural Indians of the state. This project shall be administered in a manner that allows for input from, and consultation with, concerned tribes and tribal organizations and American Indian-controlled health care corporations.

(c) This study shall identify methods to improve the quality of official state data on Indian mortality and carry out activities to achieve that goal, including the provision of training and the development of educational materials for morticians and coroners operating within the state.

article: 5. American Indians


text: For the purpose of conducting the three-year study required pursuant to Section 102905, the department is hereby encouraged to contract with a federally recognized tribe or tribal organization or an American Indian-controlled health care corporation or research institution having a record of good standing with the Department of Managed Health Care and the Indian Health program within the department, and established competence in the area of records management.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 857, Sec. 50. Effective January 1, 2001.)

article: 5. American Indians


text:
The study shall be conducted in three phases, as follows:

(a) Phase one of the study shall include research design and data acquisition, including funds for the purchase of data from tribal, federal, state, and county sources and the encoding of this data to a computer-readable form.

(b) Phase two of the study shall include a computerized matching of the American Indian-specific data with the officially known deaths within the state for a selected two-year period, and all necessary statistical analysis and validation of any findings.

(c) Phase three shall include the dissemination of the findings from the study, including efforts to improve the collection of vital event data on the American Indian population within the state.

article: 5. American Indians


text: The state department shall begin to implement the activities referred to in Sections 102905, 102910, 102915, and 102920 only upon an appropriation for the specific purpose of funding the activities.

article: 5. American Indians