Bill Text: NJ S2560 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DOH to authorize Jersey City to issue certified copies of birth certificates by September 1, 2015.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-12-01 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S2560 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S2560-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOH to authorize Jersey City to issue certified copies of birth certificates by September 1, 2015.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
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, 2015, authorize the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics in Jersey City 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, 2015, to authorize the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics in Jersey City 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 the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics in 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 to obtain a passport or driver's license would have 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 other State residents (not born in Jersey City) are not subject to because 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 a copy of their birth certificates in the same manner as do other residents of the State.
