SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 895
89TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR STAPLES.
Read 1st time February 10, 1998, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
S2758.01I
AN ACT
To repeal section 193.265, RSMo 1994, relating to the issuance of veterans' death certificates, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to the same subject.
Section A. Section 193.265, RSMo 1994, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 193.265, to read as follows:
193.265. 1. Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section, for the issuance of a certification or copy of a vital record, the applicant shall pay a fee of ten dollars to the state department of revenue. For each vital records fee collected from August 28, 1992, to June 30, 1996, the director of revenue shall credit four dollars to the general revenue fund, three dollars to the children's trust fund as established pursuant to section 210.173, RSMo, two dollars to the Missouri public health services fund established in section 192.900, RSMo, and one dollar shall be deposited in the "Endowed Care Cemetery Audit Fund", which is hereby created in the state treasury. Money in the endowed care cemetery audit fund shall be available by appropriation to the division of professional registration to pay its expenses in administering sections 214.270 to 214.410, RSMo. All interest earned on money deposited in the endowed care cemetery audit fund shall be credited to the endowed care cemetery audit fund. The money deposited in the public health services fund pursuant to this section shall be deposited in a separate account in the fund, and moneys in such account, upon appropriation, shall be used to automate and improve the state vital records system and allow local registrars to issue computer generated certificates of birth and death records of persons who are born or who die in Missouri. Beginning July 1, 1996, for each vital records fee collected, the director of revenue shall credit four dollars to the general revenue fund, five dollars to the children's trust fund and one dollar shall be credited to the endowed care cemetery audit fund. For any search of the files and records, when no record is found, the state shall be entitled to a fee equal to the amount for a certification of a vital record for a five-year search to be paid by the applicant. For the processing of each legitimation, adoption, court order or recording after the registrant's twelfth birthday, the state shall be entitled to a fee equal to the amount for a certification of a vital record. Except whenever a certified copy or copies of a vital record is required to perfect any claim of any person on relief, or any dependent of any person who was on relief for any claim upon the government of the state or United States, the state registrar shall, upon request, furnish a certified copy or so many certified copies as are necessary, without any fee or compensation therefor.
2. For the issuance of a certification of a birth or death record by the local registrar, the applicant shall pay a fee of ten dollars to the official county health agency. A certified copy of a death record by the local registrar can only be issued within twenty-four hours of receipt of the record by the local registrar. Computer generated certifications of death records may be issued by the local registrar after twenty-four hours of receipt of the records. The fees paid to the official county health agency shall be retained by the local agency for local public health purposes.
3. Any applicant who is a surviving family member of a deceased veteran may receive a certification of death of such deceased veteran without paying a fee; provided, however, that the department may limit the issuance of such certificates to no more than three without charge per deceased veteran. For the purposes of this subsection, "veteran" is as defined in section 42.002, RSMo, and "family member" shall include any spouse, child or descendant of a child, father, mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran.