Senate File 441 - Introduced SENATE FILE 441 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1129) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the issuance of birth certificates and 1 providing for a repeal. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2599SV (2) 87 pf/nh

S.F. 441 Section 1. Section 144.13A, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2017, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 1. The state registrar shall charge the parent a fee of 3 twenty dollars for the registration of a certificate of birth 4 as follows: 5 a. Beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2005, a fee 6 of fifteen dollars. 7 b. Beginning July 1, 2005, a fee of twenty dollars. 8 2. The state registrar shall charge the parent a separate 9 fee established under section 144.46 for a certified copy of 10 the certificate. The certified copy shall include all of the 11 information included in the original certificate of birth and 12 shall be letter-sized. The certified copy shall be mailed to 13 the parent by the state registrar. The mailing of a certified 14 copy of the certificate to a biological parent shall not be 15 precluded by the execution of a release of custody under 16 chapter 600A , and, upon request, a biological parent shall be 17 provided with a certified copy of the certificate unless the 18 parental rights of the biological parent are terminated. 19 Sec. 2. Section 144.13A, Code 2017, is amended by adding the 20 following new subsection: 21 NEW SUBSECTION . 2A. a. If, during the period between 22 May 1993 and October 2009, a parent was issued a smaller than 23 letter-sized certified copy of the certificate of birth under 24 this section, which did not include all of the information 25 included in the original certificate of birth, upon request 26 of a parent, the department shall mail to the parent a single 27 letter-sized certified copy replacement that includes all 28 of the information provided in the original certificate of 29 birth. A parent shall not be required to exchange the smaller 30 certified copy for the larger certified copy replacement, but 31 may retain the smaller certified copy. 32 b. Notwithstanding the amount of the fee charged under 33 subsection 2, the state registrar shall not charge a fee 34 for the issuance of a single letter-sized certified copy of 35 -1- LSB 2599SV (2) 87 pf/nh 1/ 3

S.F. 441 the certificate of birth requested by a parent under this 1 subsection. 2 c. This subsection shall not apply if a new certificate of 3 birth was substituted for the original certificate of birth 4 pursuant to section 144.24. 5 d. The department shall post the application form and 6 instructions for requesting a letter-sized certified copy 7 replacement as specified in this subsection on the department’s 8 internet site. This paragraph is repealed June 30, 2022. 9 EXPLANATION 10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 11 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 12 This bill relates to the certified copy of a certificate 13 of birth mailed to a parent by the state registrar following 14 registration of the certificate of birth. 15 The bill updates outdated language relating to the fee 16 charged a parent for registration of a certificate of birth by 17 eliminating the reference to the fee charged during the period 18 ending June 30, 2005, and retaining the current fee which is 19 $20. 20 The bill provides that the certified copy of a certificate of 21 birth sent to a parent shall include all information included 22 in the original certificate of birth and be letter-sized. 23 Additionally, if a parent was issued a certified copy of the 24 certificate of birth that is smaller than letter-sized and does 25 not include all of the information provided in the original 26 certificate of birth during the period between May 1993 and 27 October 2009, upon request of the parent, the state registrar 28 shall mail to the parent one letter-sized certified copy that 29 includes all of the information provided in the original 30 certificate of birth. Notwithstanding the amount of the fee 31 regularly charged for the certificate of birth issued to a 32 parent, the bill directs that the state registrar shall not 33 charge the parent a fee for the certified copy requested by and 34 mailed to the parent under the bill. 35 -2- LSB 2599SV (2) 87 pf/nh 2/ 3

S.F. 441 The bill directs the department of public health to post 1 the application form and the instructions for requesting the 2 replacement certified copy on the department’s internet site. 3 This provision is repealed June 30, 2022. 4 -3- LSB 2599SV (2) 87 pf/nh 3/ 3