House File 2548 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2136) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to public access to certain vital statistics 2 records. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6325HV 82 5 rh/rj/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 144.43, Code 2007, is amended to read 1 2 as follows: 1 3 144.43 VITAL RECORDS CLOSED TO INSPECTION == EXCEPTIONS. 1 4 1.ToExcept as otherwise provided in subsection 2, in 1 5 order to protect the integrity of vital statistics records, to 1 6 ensure their proper use, and to ensure the efficient and 1 7 proper administration of the vital statistics system kept by 1 8 the state registrar, access to vital statistics records kept 1 9 by the state registrar shall be limited to the state registrar 1 10 and the state registrar's employees, and then only for 1 11 administrative purposes. It shall be unlawful for the state 1 12 registrar to permit inspection of, or to disclose information 1 13 contained in vital statistics records, or to copy or permit to 1 14 be copied all or part of any such record except as authorized 1 15 byregulationrules. 1 16 2.However, theThe following vital statistics records may 1 17 be inspected and copied as of right under chapter 22 whenthey 1 18 are in the custody of a county registrar or when theysuch 1 19 records are either in the custody of the state archivist and 1 20 are at least seventy=five years old or are in the custody of a 1 21 county registrar: 1 221.a. A record of birth. 1 232.b. A record of marriage. 1 243.c. A record of divorce, dissolution of marriage, or 1 25 annulment of marriage. 1 264.d. A record of death if that death was not a fetal 1 27 death. 1 28 3. A public record shall not be withheld from the public 1 29 becauseitthe public record is combined with data processing 1 30 software. The state registrar shall not implement any 1 31 electronic data processing system for the storage, 1 32 manipulation, or retrieval of vital records that would impair 1 33 a county registrar's ability to permit the examination of a 1 34 public record and the copying of a public record, as 1 35 established by rule. If it is necessary to separate a public 2 1 record from data processing software in order to permit the 2 2 examination of the public record, the county registrar shall 2 3 periodically generate a written log available for public 2 4 inspection which contains the public record. 2 5 EXPLANATION 2 6 This bill provides that certain vital statistics records, 2 7 i.e., birth records, marriage records, divorce records, 2 8 dissolution of marriage records, annulment of marriage 2 9 records, and death records, except for fetal death records, 2 10 may be inspected and copied pursuant to Iowa's open records 2 11 law (Code chapter 22) when such records are either in the 2 12 custody of the state archivist and are at least 75 years old 2 13 or are in the custody of a county registrar (county recorder). 2 14 LSB 6325HV 82 2 15 rh/rj/5