Bill Text: IA SF2254 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the accurate completion and the correction of death certificates.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-02-12 - Subcommittee: Evans, Alons, and Wahls. S.J. 269. [SF2254 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-SF2254-Introduced.html
Senate
File
2254
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2254
BY
LOFGREN
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
accurate
completion
and
the
correction
1
of
death
certificates.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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2254
Section
1.
Section
144.26,
Code
2024,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
144.26
Death
certificate.
3
1.
a.
A
death
certificate
for
each
death
which
occurs
4
in
this
state
shall
be
filed
as
directed
by
the
state
5
registrar
within
three
days
after
the
death
and
prior
to
final
6
disposition,
and
shall
be
registered
by
the
county
registrar
7
if
it
has
been
completed
and
filed
in
accordance
with
this
8
chapter
.
A
death
certificate
shall
include
the
social
security
9
number,
if
provided,
of
the
deceased
person.
All
information
10
including
the
certifying
physician’s,
physician
assistant’s,
11
or
advanced
registered
nurse
practitioner’s
name
shall
be
12
typewritten.
13
b.
A
physician
assistant
or
an
advanced
registered
nurse
14
practitioner
authorized
to
sign
a
death
certificate
shall
be
15
licensed
in
this
state
and
shall
have
been
in
charge
of
the
16
deceased
patient’s
care.
17
2.
All
information
included
on
a
death
certificate
may
be
18
provided
as
mutually
agreed
upon
by
the
state
registrar
and
19
child
support
services,
including
by
automated
exchange.
20
3.
a.
The
county
in
which
a
dead
body
is
found
is
the
21
county
of
death.
If
death
occurs
in
a
moving
conveyance,
22
the
county
in
which
the
dead
body
is
first
removed
from
the
23
conveyance
is
the
county
of
death.
24
b.
If
a
decedent
died
outside
of
the
county
of
the
25
decedent’s
residence,
the
state
registrar
shall
send
a
copy
26
of
the
decedent’s
death
certificate
and
any
amendments
to
the
27
county
registrar
of
the
county
of
the
decedent’s
residence.
28
The
county
registrar
shall
record
a
death
certificate
received
29
pursuant
to
this
paragraph
in
the
same
records
in
which
the
30
death
certificate
of
a
decedent
who
died
within
the
county
31
is
recorded.
The
state
registrar
may
provide
the
county
32
registrars
with
electronic
access
to
vital
records
in
lieu
of
33
the
requirements
of
this
paragraph.
34
4.
The
department
shall
provide
for
correction
and
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substitution
of
a
death
certificate
if
evidence
substantiating
1
the
correction
or
substitution
is
presented
to
the
state
2
registrar
within
twelve
months
of
the
filing
of
the
death
3
certificate.
The
death
certificate
shall
be
marked
“amended”
4
and
comply
with
other
requirements
pursuant
to
sections
144.38
5
and
144.41.
6
4.
5.
a.
The
department
shall
establish
by
rule
procedures
7
for
making
a
finding
of
presumption
of
death
when
no
body
8
can
be
found.
The
department
shall
also
provide
by
rule
9
the
responsibility
for
completing
and
signing
the
medical
10
certification
of
cause
of
death
in
such
circumstances.
The
11
presumptive
death
certificate
shall
be
in
a
form
prescribed
by
12
the
state
registrar
and
filed
in
the
county
where
the
death
was
13
presumed
to
occur.
14
b.
The
department
shall
provide
for
the
correction,
15
substitution,
or
removal
of
a
presumptive
death
certificate
16
when
the
body
of
the
person
is
later
found,
additional
facts
17
are
discovered,
or
the
person
is
discovered
to
be
alive.
18
6.
The
department,
in
consultation
with
the
state
medical
19
examiner,
county
medical
examiners,
the
university
of
Iowa
20
hospitals
and
clinics,
the
board
of
mortuary
science,
and
21
the
department
of
veterans
affairs,
shall
implement
training
22
standards
for
individuals
with
a
duty
related
to
a
death
23
certificate
to
ensure
the
accurate
completion
and
filing
of
a
24
medical
certification
of
death
and
a
death
certificate.
25
5.
7.
Upon
the
activation
of
an
electronic
death
record
26
system,
each
person
with
a
duty
related
to
death
certificates
27
shall
participate
in
the
electronic
death
record
system.
A
28
person
with
a
duty
related
to
a
death
certificate
includes
but
29
is
not
limited
to
a
physician
as
defined
in
section
135.1
,
a
30
physician
assistant,
an
advanced
registered
nurse
practitioner,
31
a
funeral
director,
and
a
county
recorder.
32
EXPLANATION
33
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
34
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
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2254
This
bill
relates
to
the
accurate
completion
and
the
1
correction
of
death
certificates.
2
The
bill
provides
that
the
department
of
health
and
3
human
services
(HHS)
shall
provide
for
the
correction
and
4
substitution
of
a
death
certificate
when
substantiated
evidence
5
of
a
mistake
is
presented
to
the
state
registrar
within
12
6
months
of
the
filing
of
the
death
certificate.
The
death
7
certificate
shall
be
marked
“amended”
and
comply
with
other
8
requirements
pursuant
to
Code
sections
144.38
(amendment
of
9
official
record)
and
144.41
(amending
local
records).
10
The
bill
also
requires
HHS,
in
consultation
with
the
state
11
medical
examiner,
county
medical
examiners,
the
university
of
12
Iowa
hospitals
and
clinics,
the
board
of
mortuary
science,
13
and
the
department
of
veterans
affairs,
to
implement
training
14
standards
for
individuals
with
a
duty
related
to
a
death
15
certificate
to
ensure
the
accurate
completion
and
filing
of
a
16
medical
certification
of
death
and
a
death
certificate.
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