| 1 | 1 | | 81R12011 JSC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: King of Zavala H.B. No. 3804 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the form of death certificates and fetal death |
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| 8 | 8 | | certificates. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 193.001, Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a-1) In prescribing each form under Subsection (a), the |
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| 13 | 13 | | department shall ensure that the form instructs the person required |
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| 14 | 14 | | to file the death certificate or fetal death certificate to: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) enter the date in the standard order of "month, |
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| 16 | 16 | | day, year"; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) spell out the name of the month when entering the |
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| 18 | 18 | | date; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) spell out the name of the deceased using both |
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| 20 | 20 | | capital and lowercase letters; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) use parentheses around the abbreviation "aka"; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (5) express the time of death in a 24-hour military |
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| 23 | 23 | | time format. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Department of State Health Services |
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| 25 | 25 | | shall revise and make available the forms required by Section |
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| 26 | 26 | | 193.001, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, not later |
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| 27 | 27 | | than January 1, 2010. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) A person required to file a death certificate or a fetal |
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| 29 | 29 | | death certificate is not required to use the revised form required |
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| 30 | 30 | | by Section 193.001, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, |
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| 31 | 31 | | before February 1, 2010. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 33 | 33 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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