| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 192.0022(a)(1), Health and Safety Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(1) "Stillbirth" means an unintended, intrauterine |
|
|
fetal death occurring in this state [after a gestational age of not
|
|
|
less than 20 completed weeks]. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 192.0022, Health and Safety Code, as |
|
|
amended by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, |
|
|
2015, is amended by amending Subsections (b), (c), (g), and (h) and |
|
|
adding Subsections (d-1) and (h-1) to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) The person who is required to file a fetal death |
|
|
certificate under Section 193.002, if that person is required to |
|
|
file a fetal death certificate or is otherwise involved in the |
|
|
disposition of the stillborn child's remains, shall advise the |
|
|
parent or parents of a stillborn child: |
|
|
(1) that a parent may, but is not required to, request |
|
|
the preparation of a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth; |
|
|
(2) that a parent may obtain a certificate of birth |
|
|
resulting in stillbirth by contacting the vital statistics unit to |
|
|
request the certificate and paying the required fee; and |
|
|
(3) regarding the way or ways in which a parent may |
|
|
contact the vital statistics unit to request the certificate. |
|
|
(c) A parent may provide a name for a stillborn child on the |
|
|
request for a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth. If the |
|
|
requesting parent does not wish to provide a name, the vital |
|
|
statistics unit shall fill in the certificate with the name "baby |
|
|
boy" or "baby girl" and the last name of the parent. [The name of
|
|
|
the stillborn child provided on or later added by amendment to the
|
|
|
certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth shall be the same name
|
|
|
as placed on the original or amended fetal death certificate.] |
|
|
(d-1) The department shall issue a certificate of birth |
|
|
resulting in stillbirth at the request of a parent of the stillborn |
|
|
child. |
|
|
(g) On issuance of a certificate of birth resulting in |
|
|
stillbirth to a parent who has requested the certificate as |
|
|
provided by this section, the vital statistics unit shall file an |
|
|
exact copy of the certificate with the local registrar of the |
|
|
registration district in which the stillbirth occurred. [The
|
|
|
local registrar shall file the certificate of birth resulting in
|
|
|
stillbirth with the fetal death certificate.] |
|
|
(h) A parent may request the vital statistics unit to issue |
|
|
a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth without regard to |
|
|
the date on which the birth resulting in stillbirth occurred [fetal
|
|
|
death certificate was issued]. |
|
|
(h-1) A certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth is not |
|
|
a certificate of fetal death for purposes of Section 193.002, and |
|
|
the issuance of a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth |
|
|
under this section does not affect the issuance of a certificate of |
|
|
fetal death under Section 193.002. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 192.0022(d), Health and Safety Code, is |
|
|
repealed. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |