BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 2940 By: King, Tracy O. Public Health Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently a person whose duty it is to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is required to fill out a certain standard vital statistics form. H.B. 2940 seeks to require the Department of State Health Services to improve its database by allowing such a person to enter dates in a way that improves the readability of the certified death certificate. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 2940 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to ensure that the form prescribed for death certificates and fetal death certificates instructs the person required to file the form to enter the date in the standard order of "month, day, year" and spell out the name of the month when entering the date. The bill requires DSHS to revise and make available the required forms not later than January 1, 2012, and specifies that a person required to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is not required to use the revised form before February 1, 2012. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 2940
By: King, Tracy O.
Public Health
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 2940
By: King, Tracy O.
Public Health
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently a person whose duty it is to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is required to fill out a certain standard vital statistics form. H.B. 2940 seeks to require the Department of State Health Services to improve its database by allowing such a person to enter dates in a way that improves the readability of the certified death certificate.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 2940 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to ensure that the form prescribed for death certificates and fetal death certificates instructs the person required to file the form to enter the date in the standard order of "month, day, year" and spell out the name of the month when entering the date. The bill requires DSHS to revise and make available the required forms not later than January 1, 2012, and specifies that a person required to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is not required to use the revised form before February 1, 2012.
EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently a person whose duty it is to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is required to fill out a certain standard vital statistics form. H.B. 2940 seeks to require the Department of State Health Services to improve its database by allowing such a person to enter dates in a way that improves the readability of the certified death certificate.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 2940 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to ensure that the form prescribed for death certificates and fetal death certificates instructs the person required to file the form to enter the date in the standard order of "month, day, year" and spell out the name of the month when entering the date. The bill requires DSHS to revise and make available the required forms not later than January 1, 2012, and specifies that a person required to file a death certificate or fetal death certificate is not required to use the revised form before February 1, 2012.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.