Date: 01/31/2012

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB12-1041

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved a conceptual amendment to require a report f
Moved to refer House Bill 12-1041, as amended, to 		PASS
PASS



01:35 PM -- House Bill 12-1041

Representative Labuda presented House Bill 12-1041, concerning the creation of an electronic death registration system in the Department of Public Health and Environment. The bill requires the Department of Public Health and Environment to create an electronic death registration system to allow persons responsible for reporting death information to the Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics to do so electronically. She explained the proposed system would be similar to the system currently used for birth certificates. She stated that Colorado is one of the few states that still uses a paper system for issuing death certificates.


01:36 PM -- Ron Hyman, Department of Public Health and Environment, explained the current process for issuing death certificates. He explained issues related to identity theft that can arise after a death occurs. He explained the process proposed by House Bill 12-1041 to electronically issue death certificates, including the cross checks the new system would provide. The committee was provided a map illustrating the electronic death registration system by jurisdiction (Attachment A). Mr. Hyman explained the fee increase proposed by the bill for death certificates.

120131 AttachA.pdf

01:46 PM

Mr. Hyman responded to questions from the committee about how the electronic birth certificate registration system is working, the details of the electronic system that would be utilized for death certificates, the security of the electronic system, how signatures would be obtained, and if the current birth certificate system could be used for issuing death certificates. The committee continued to dialogue with Mr. Hyman about how birth certificates are obtained for identity theft purposes, the proposed fee increase for death certificates, and if Social Security Administration funding would be available to Colorado for the implementation of House Bill 12-1041. Mr. Hyman responded to questions about the benefits to consumers, whether the certificates would have the proper seal affixed, and further questions about the proposed fee increase. Mr. Hyman responded to questions about where the electronic death certificates would be able to be accessed. The committee and Mr. Hyman dialogued about the information contained in the fiscal note.


02:05 PM -- Lora Thomas, Colorado Coroners Association, explained the print-to-drop feature that could be utilized by coroners, if necessary, for paper copies. She stated the electronic death certificate system would provide better customer service. Ms. Thomas addressed questions about the security of the electronic death certificate system. She explained the time lag that Colorado experiences without the electronic death certificate system.


02:09 PM -- Chuck Bowman, Colorado Funeral Directors Association, expressed support for the implementation of an electronic death certificate system in Colorado. He explained how other funeral costs would be reduced if the electronic death certificate system was implemented. Mr. Bowman responded to questions about the proposed fee increase on death certificates, including if a grant could be established to offset the cost to consumers.


02:22 PM -- Kirk Mlinek, Legislative Council Staff, responded to questions about the information contained in the fiscal note, specifically related to cash flow of the electronic death certificate system from year-to-year, the cost of the electronic death certificate system, and the long-term impact of the implementation of the electronic death certificate system.


02:30 PM

The committee dialogued with Representative Labuda about the funding mechanism proposed by House Bill 12-1041 for the electronic death certificate system.

BILL:HB12-1041
TIME: 02:34:45 PM
MOVED:Brown
MOTION:Moved a conceptual amendment to require a report from the Department of Public Health and Environment within two years about the progress of the electronic death certificate system and if FTEs or fees could be reduced based on any savings actualized by the implementation of the system. The motion passed on a vote of 8-3.
SECONDED:Peniston
VOTE
Bradford
Excused
Brown
Yes
Fields
No
Joshi
No
Kefalas
No
Kerr J.
Excused
Massey
Yes
McCann
Yes
Peniston
Yes
Schafer S.
Yes
Young
Yes
Acree
Yes
Summers
Yes
YES: 8 NO: 3 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS



BILL:HB12-1041
TIME: 02:39:41 PM
MOVED:Massey
MOTION:Moved to refer House Bill 12-1041, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 9-2.
SECONDED:Young
VOTE
Bradford
Excused
Brown
Yes
Fields
No
Joshi
Yes
Kefalas
Yes
Kerr J.
Excused
Massey
Yes
McCann
Yes
Peniston
Yes
Schafer S.
Yes
Young
Yes
Acree
No
Summers
Yes
YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS