81R12011 JSC-D
By: King of Zavala H.B. No. 3804
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the form of death certificates and fetal death
certificates.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 193.001, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
(a-1) In prescribing each form under Subsection (a), the
department shall ensure that the form instructs the person required
to file the death certificate or fetal death certificate to:
(1) enter the date in the standard order of "month,
day, year";
(2) spell out the name of the month when entering the
date;
(3) spell out the name of the deceased using both
capital and lowercase letters;
(4) use parentheses around the abbreviation "aka"; and
(5) express the time of death in a 24-hour military
time format.
SECTION 2. (a) The Department of State Health Services
shall revise and make available the forms required by Section
193.001, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, not later
than January 1, 2010.
(b) A person required to file a death certificate or a fetal
death certificate is not required to use the revised form required
by Section 193.001, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act,
before February 1, 2010.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.