Bill Text: NJ A1419 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DOH to authorize Jersey City to issue certified copies of birth certificates by September 1, 2017.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A1419 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A1419-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman NICHOLAS CHIARAVALLOTI
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOH to authorize Jersey City to issue certified copies of birth certificates by September 1, 2017.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the issuance of certified copies of birth certificates and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Health shall, no later than September 1, 2017, authorize the Jersey City Vital Statistics Office to issue certified copies of birth certificates, upon request, to persons born in Jersey City who present all required documentation and pay any required fees for the certificate.
2. The Commissioner of Health shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health, no later than September 1, 2017, to authorize the Jersey City Vital Statistics Office to issue certified copies of birth certificates, upon request, to persons born in Jersey City who present all required documentation and pay any required fees for the certificate.
Several years ago, the Department of Health (DOH) determined that some birth certificates issued by Jersey City were not valid and the security of the vital records was compromised. As a result, DOH mandated that persons born in Jersey City seeking to obtain a certified copy of their birth certificate for identification purposes, in order to obtain a passport or driver's license, would be required to either obtain the birth certificate directly from DOH in Trenton or use the web-based system available through the DOH website.
In either case, this results in a delay and additional costs in obtaining the birth certificate. This is a delay that State residents born outside of Jersey City are not subject to, as they can access the needed certificate quickly and easily by requesting it at their local vital statistics office. This bill, therefore, will restore the ability of persons born in Jersey City to obtain copies of their birth certificates in the same manner as do other residents of the State.
