Pennsylvania Act 2006-129 — VITAL STATISTICS LAW OF 1953 - REGISTRATION DISTRICTS, LOCAL REGISTRARS' DUTIES AND DEATH AND FETAL DEATH REGISTRATION

Act text

Session of 2006

No. 2006-129

SB 983

AN ACT

Amending the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), entitled "An act providing for the administration of a statewide system of vital statistics; prescribing the functions of the State Department of Health, the State Advisory Health Board and local registrars; imposing duties upon coroners, prothonotaries, clerks of orphans' court, physicians, midwives and other persons; requiring reports and certificates for the registration of vital statistics; regulating the disposition of dead bodies; limiting the disclosure of records; prescribing the sufficiency of vital statistics records as evidence; prescribing fees and penalties; and revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto," further providing for registration districts and local registrars' duties and for death and fetal death registration.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 303 of the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, is amended to read:

Section 303. Registration Districts: Local Registrars' Duties.--Local registrars shall perform the duties imposed upon them by this act, under and subject to the supervision of the department. Local registrars shall transmit certificates and transcripts to such places and at such times as shall be prescribed by the department[.] and shall transmit, for a person who was at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of death, a copy of the death certificate to the county board of elections of the county in which the person resided at the time of death.

Section 2. Section 504 of the act, amended July 9, 1971 (P.L.213, No.38), is amended to read:

Section 504. Death and Fetal Death Registration: Permits Concerning Dead Bodies and Fetal Remains.--No person shall dispose of a dead body or fetal remains until a local registrar issues a permit [therefor] for disposal . The local registrar shall be authorized to issue the permit [only after the person in charge of interment or removal has filed with the local registrar a certificate of death or fetal death and has complied with all regulations with respect to the issuance of the permit.] and may issue blank presigned permits to the funeral director only. The funeral director or the person in charge of interment or removal shall, within ninety-six (96) hours after the death or fetal death or within ninety-six (96) hours after the finding of a dead body or fetal remains, file with the local registrar a certificate of death or fetal death.

The sexton or other person in charge of any premises in which bodies are interred or cremated shall not allow the interment or cremation of any dead body or fetal remains unless a permit issued under this section is presented to [him] the sexton . The sexton or other person in charge of [such] the premises shall indorse upon each permit presented to [him] the sexton or other person the date of interment or cremation, over [his] the sexton's or other person's signature, and shall return the permit so indorsed to the local registrar of [his] the sexton's or other person's district within ten days from the date of interment or cremation.

Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

APPROVED--The 27th day of October, A. D. 2006.

EDWARD G. RENDELL