HLS 16RS-203 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 394
BY REPRESENTATIVE LOPINTO
VITAL STATS/DEATH CERT: Authorizes the disclosure of information from a death
certificate to law enforcement
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 40:41(L) and (M), relative to death certificates; to require notice of the death
3 of each state resident to be provided to the public agency maintaining the State Sex
4 Offender and Child Predator Registry; to authorize the issuance of death certificates
5 for law enforcement use only; and to provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 40:41(L) and (M) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง41. Disclosure of records
9 * * *
10 L. The state registrar shall notify the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal
11 Identification and Information, or its successor which maintains the State Sex
12 Offender and Child Predator Registry, of the death of each state resident. The
13 information provided by the state registrar shall be limited to the deceased's name,
14 address, date of death, date of birth, and any other identifying information which
15 may be necessary to identify the deceased as a registrant.
16 M. The state registrar shall issue a certified copy of a death certificate clearly
17 marked for law enforcement use only to any member of a law enforcement agency
18 upon written request from that law enforcement agency. For the purposes of this
19 Section, "law enforcement agency" means any municipality, sheriff's office, or other
20 public agency who employs full-time employees of the state whose permanent duties
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 16RS-203 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 394
1 include but are not limited to making arrests, performing searches and seizures,
2 executing criminal warrants, preventing or detecting crime. and enforcing the penal,
3 traffic, or highway laws of this state.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 394 Original 2016 Regular Session Lopinto
Abstract: Authorizes the disclosure of information from the death certificate of each state
resident to law enforcement.
Present law prohibits an employee of the state from disclosing data contained in vital
records, except as authorized by law.
Proposed law requires the state registrar to notify the La. Bureau of Criminal Identification
and Information, or its successor which maintains the State Sex Offender and Child Predator
Registry, of the death of each state resident. Proposed law limits the information provided
to the deceased's name, address, date of death, date of birth, and any other identifying
information which may be necessary to identify the deceased as a registrant.
Proposed law requires the state registrar to issue a certified copy of a death certificate clearly
marked for law enforcement use only to any member of a law enforcement agency upon
written request from that law enforcement agency. Proposed law defines "law enforcement
agency" as any municipality, sheriff's office, or other public agency who employs full-time
employees of the state whose permanent duties include but are not limited to making arrests,
performing searches and seizures, executing criminal warrants, preventing or detecting crime
and enforcing the penal, traffic, or highway laws of this state.
(Adds R.S. 40:41(L) and (M))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.