Bill Text: NJ A2106 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits homeless to receive certified copy of birth certificate without fee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-09 - Approved P.L.2016, c.98. [A2106 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A2106-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Singleton and Assemblywoman Quijano
SYNOPSIS
Permits homeless to receive certified copy of birth certificate without fee.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning birth certificates and amending R.S.26:8-63.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.26:8-63 is amended to read as follows:
26:8-63. The State registrar shall:
a. Furnish a certification or certified copy of a birth, marriage, civil union, domestic partnership, fetal death or death certificate without fee in the prosecution of any claim for public pension or for military or naval enlistment purposes; and
b. Furnish the United States Public Health Service without expense to the State, microfilm or photocopy images of birth, marriage, civil union, domestic partnership, fetal death and death certificates without payment of the fees prescribed in this article; and
c. Furnish a certified transcript of any entry in the records of the New Jersey State census without fee for certification in the prosecution of any claim for public pension, for military or naval enlistment purposes; and
d. Furnish without fee upon request for administrative use by any city, State or federal agency a certified transcript of any New Jersey State census entry, or a certification or certified copy of a birth, death, fetal death, marriage, civil union or domestic partnership certificate; and
e. Furnish without fee upon request a certified copy of a veteran's death certificate to the veteran's legal representative, the executor or administrator of the veteran's estate, or to a family member authorized to obtain a copy of the death certificate pursuant to subsection a. of R.S.26:8-62. No more than one copy of a veteran's death certificate may be provided without fee pursuant to this subsection; all other copies of the death certificate shall be subject to the statutory fee; and
f. Furnish without fee upon request by a homeless person a certified copy of the person's birth certificate, provided that the person submits the request through a social worker or the coordinator of the emergency shelter for the homeless where the person is temporarily residing.
As used in this [subsection, "fee"] section:
"Fee" includes, but is not limited to, any search, certification, processing, authentication, standard shipping, or other fees that would ordinarily be assessed to furnish a certified copy of a [death] certificate or transcript; and
"Homeless person" means a person without a domicile who is unable to secure permanent and stable housing as determined by a social worker or the coordinator of an emergency shelter established pursuant to P.L.1985, c.48 (C.55:13C-1 et seq.).
(cf: P.L.2014, c.87, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits homeless people to obtain free certified copies of their birth certificates by submitting a request for the certificate to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics through a social worker or through the coordinator of the emergency shelter for the homeless where the person is temporarily residing. Because the State Registrar requires that all certified copies of vital records be sent to the requester's address of record, homeless people are currently required to submit any request for a certified copy of a vital record in this manner.
The bill defines "homeless person" to mean "a person without a domicile who is unable to secure permanent and stable housing as determined by a social worker or the coordinator of an emergency shelter." The bill additionally revises R.S.26:8-63 to provide that the definition of "fee" applies to the entire section; under current law, the definition is only applied to veteran's death certificates. The bill does not otherwise revise the definition of "fee," which includes, but is not limited to, any search, certification, processing, authentication, standard shipping, or other fees that would ordinarily be assessed to furnish a certified copy of a certificate or transcript.
