0001|                         HOUSE BILL 716
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0002|     42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION,
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0003|     1996
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0004|                         INTRODUCED BY
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0005|                       R. DAVID PEDERSON
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0006|     
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|     
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0011|                             AN ACT
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0012|     RELATING TO VITAL STATISTICS; REMOVING A PROHIBITION REGARDING
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0013|     PREPARATION OR ISSUANCE OF A COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE;
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0014|     AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NMSA 1978.
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0015|     
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0016|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0017|       Section 1.  Section 24-14-28 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1961,
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0018|     Chapter 44, Section 26, as amended) is amended to read:
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0019|       "24-14-28.  COPIES OR DATA FROM THE SYSTEM OF VITAL 
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0020|     STATISTICS.--In accordance with the Vital Statistics Act and the
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0021|     regulations adopted pursuant to that act:
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0022|            A.  the state registrar shall, upon receipt of a
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0023|     written application, issue a certified copy of any certificate
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0024|     or record in his custody to anyone demonstrating a tangible and
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0025|     direct interest, except that:  
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0001|                 (1)  certified copies of birth records shall
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0002|     exclude all medical information unless a complete certificate is
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0003|     specifically requested and the request for a complete
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0004|     certificate is approved by the state registrar; and
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0005|                 (2)  issuance of copies of birth records shall
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0006|     be subject to the provisions of the Missing Child Reporting Act;
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0007|            B.  a certified copy of a certificate or any part
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0008|     thereof, including records reproduced from paper documents or
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0009|     photographic, magnetic or electronic files, shall be considered
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0010|     for all purposes the same as the original and is prima facie
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0011|     evidence of the facts therein stated; provided that the
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0012|     evidentiary value of a certificate or record filed more than one
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0013|     year after the event or a record which has been amended shall be
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0014|     determined by the judicial or administrative body or official
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0015|     before whom the certificate is offered as evidence;
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0016|            C.  the agency of the United States government
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0017|     responsible for national vital statistics may be furnished
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0018|     copies or data as it may require for national statistics, upon
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0019|     the condition that the data shall not be used for other than
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0020|     statistical purposes unless so authorized by the state
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0021|     registrar;
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0022|            D.  at the discretion of the state registrar,
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0023|     federal, state, local and other public or private agencies may
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0024|     upon request be furnished copies or data for statistical or
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0025|     administrative purposes upon the conditions as may be prescribed
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0001|     by the department;
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0002|            E.  no person shall prepare or issue any report of an
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0003|     induced abortion or any certificate which purports to be an
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0004|     original, <u>a</u> certified copy, <u>a reproduction of a certified
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<u></u>0005| <u>    copy</u>  or <u>a</u> copy <u></u>of a certificate of <s>[birth,]</s> death or
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0006|     spontaneous fetal death <s>[or reproduction of a certified copy]</s>
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0007|     <u>or an original certificate of birth</u>, except as authorized in
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0008|     the Vital Statistics Act or regulations adopted pursuant to that
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0009|     act; and
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0010|            F.  the state registrar may, by written agreement,
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0011|     transmit copies of records and other reports required by the
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0012|     Vital Statistics Act to offices of vital statistics outside this
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0013|     state when the records or other reports relate to residents of
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0014|     those jurisdictions or persons born outside those jurisdictions. 
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0015|     The agreement shall require that the copies be used for
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0016|     statistical purposes only and shall provide for the retention
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0017|     and disposition of copies.  Copies received by the state
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0018|     registrar from offices of vital statistics in other states shall
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0019|     be handled in the manner prescribed in this section."
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0020|       Section 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
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0021|     provisions of this act is July 1, 1996.
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0022|                              
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0023|     
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