| 1 | 1 | | 88R6406 MPF-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Toth H.B. No. 5259 |
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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 death records maintained and provided by the vital |
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| 8 | 8 | | statistics unit of the Department of State Health Services. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 191, Health and Safety |
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| 11 | 11 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 191.011 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 191.011. DEATH INFORMATION PROVIDED TO SECRETARY OF |
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| 13 | 13 | | STATE. (a) The department shall implement an efficient and |
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| 14 | 14 | | effective method to provide death information to the secretary of |
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| 15 | 15 | | state to assist in maintaining the statewide computerized voter |
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| 16 | 16 | | registration list under Section 18.061, Election Code. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The method implemented under Subsection (a) must |
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| 18 | 18 | | provide at least the following information on each deceased person |
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| 19 | 19 | | for whom a death certificate is filed with a local registrar in this |
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| 20 | 20 | | state: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) the county of residence of the deceased; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) the date of birth of the deceased; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) the full name of the deceased. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) The department shall enter into a memorandum of |
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| 25 | 25 | | understanding with the secretary of state to implement this |
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| 26 | 26 | | section. The memorandum of understanding must include a mechanism |
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| 27 | 27 | | for the department to provide the secretary of state with death |
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| 28 | 28 | | information that includes unique identifiers necessary to |
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| 29 | 29 | | accurately match death records with names included on the voter |
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| 30 | 30 | | registration list. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. Section 193.001, Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 32 | 32 | | amended by adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c-1) The department shall require death certificates to |
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| 34 | 34 | | include the county where the decedent died and the decedent's |
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| 35 | 35 | | county of last legal residence. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. Section 16.001(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 37 | 37 | | read as follows: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) Once each week, on a day specified by the secretary of |
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| 39 | 39 | | state, the vital statistics unit [Bureau of Vital Statistics] shall |
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| 40 | 40 | | furnish to the secretary of state available information [specified |
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| 41 | 41 | | by the secretary] relating to deceased residents of the state as |
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| 42 | 42 | | provided by Section 191.011, Health and Safety Code, in the form and |
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| 43 | 43 | | manner specified by the secretary. Periodically, the secretary |
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| 44 | 44 | | shall furnish to the appropriate voter registrars information |
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| 45 | 45 | | obtained from the unit [bureau] that will assist in identifying the |
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| 46 | 46 | | deceased registered voters of each county. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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