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SB 147

Kentucky SenateEngrossed

Summary

SB 147, aN ACT relating to vital records, was introduced in the Senate on Feb 2, 2026 by Sen. Craig Richardson (R). It was referred to Appropriations and Revenue, and last saw action on Apr 15, 2026: recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H).


Record

Text

SB 147 has 1 roll call.

sb147/engrossed.txt
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS SB 147/GA
AN ACT relating to vital records.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section 1. KRS 213.136 is amended to read as follows:
(1) The state or county registrar shall, upon written request from an applicant entitled
to a record in accordance with administrative regulations promulgated by the
cabinet,[receipt of an application] issue a certified copy of any certificate or[a
vital] record in the registrar's custody[ or a part thereof to any applicant]. Each
certified copy[ issued] shall indicate[show] the date of registration. If the record is[
and copies issued from records] marked "delayed" or "amended," or issued
pursuant to a court order, the certified copy shall bear the same designation and
include the effective date of the modification[ shall be similarly marked and show
the effective date. The documentary evidence used to establish a delayed certificate
shall be shown on all copies issued. All forms and procedures used in the issuance
of certified copies of vital records in the Commonwealth shall be provided or
approved by the state registrar].
(2) A certified copy of a vital record or any part thereof, issued in accordance with
subsection (1) of this section, shall be considered the legal equivalent of[for all
purposes the same as] the original and shall serve as[be] prima facie evidence of the
facts stated therein. The evidentiary value of a record filed more than one (1) year
after the event, a record that has been amended, or a record of a foreign live
birth[certificate or record which has been amended] shall be determined by the
judicial or administrative body, or official before which the certificate is offered as
evidence.
(3) [The federal agency responsible for national vital statistics may be furnished copies
or data from the system of vital statistics for national statistics, if the federal agency
shares in the cost of collecting, processing, and transmitting the data, and if the data
is not used for other than statistical purposes by the federal agency unless so
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authorized by the cabinet.
(4) Federal, state, local, and other public or private agencies may, upon request, be
furnished copies or data from the system of vital statistics for statistical or
administrative purposes upon terms or conditions as may be prescribed by
regulation if the copies or data are not used for purposes other than those for which
they were requested without prior permission of the cabinet. No information other
than statistical data shall be provided for commercial purposes.
(5) The cabinet may, by agreement, transmit copies of records and other reports
required by this chapter to offices of vital statistics outside the Commonwealth
when the records or other reports relate to residents of those jurisdictions or persons
born in those jurisdictions. The agreement shall require that the copies be used for
statistical and administrative purposes only and the agreement shall further provide
for the retention and disposition of the copies. Copies received by the Vital
Statistics Branch from offices of vital statistics in other states shall be handled in
the same manner as prescribed in this section.
(6) ]No person shall prepare or issue any document purporting[certificate which
purports] to be an original, certified copy, or copy of a certificate of birth, death,
fetal death, or marriage[vital record] except as authorized in this section or
regulation adopted hereunder.
Section 2. KRS 213.141 is amended to read as follows:
(1) Except as provided in subsection (4)[(2]) of this section, the cabinet shall prescribe
by regulation a fee not to exceed ten dollars ($10)[five dollars ($5)], to be paid for:
(a) 1. Certification of records, whether paper or electronic.
2. [ certified copies of certificates or records, or for ]A search of the files
or records when no certification[copy] is made.
3. [, or for ]Copies or information provided for health, research, statistical,
or administrative purposes.
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4. Copies of information provided in response to a subpoena or court
order;
(b) Verification of information contained in vital records when such
information is provided; or
(c) A request to modify or replace a vital record in accordance with KRS
Chapter 213, provided that a fee shall not be assessed to modify the cause or
manner of death or for a correction to public health statistical data collected
through vital record registration.
(2) The cabinet shall prescribe by administrative regulation pursuant to KRS Chapter
13A a fee not to exceed fifteen dollars ($15)[ten dollars ($10)] to be paid for a
certified copy of a record of a birth:
(a) Three dollars ($3) of which shall be used by the Cabinet for Health and
Family Services for the sole purpose of contracting for the operation of
private, not-for-profit, self-help, education, and support groups for parents
who want to prevent or cease physical, sexual, or mental abuse of children;
and
(b) One dollar ($1) of which shall be used by the Division of Maternal and Child
Health to pay for therapeutic food, formulas, supplements, amino acid-based
elemental formula, or low-protein modified foods for all inborn errors of
metabolism and genetic conditions if:
1. The therapeutic food, formulas, supplements, amino acid-based
elemental formula, or low-protein modified food products are medically
indicated for the therapeutic treatment of inborn errors of metabolism or
genetic conditions and are administered under the direction of a
physician; and
2. The affected person's therapeutic food, formulas, supplements, amino
acid-based elemental formula, or low-protein foods are not covered
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under any public or private health benefit plan.
(3) Fees collected under this section by the state registrar shall be used to help defray
the cost of administering the system of vital statistics.
(4) No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid for furnishing certificates of
birth or death when required:
(a) [No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid for furnishing certificates of
birth or death required ]In support of any claim against the government for
compensation, insurance, back pay, or other allowances or benefits for any
person who has at any time served as a member of the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps, or Air Force of the United States;[.]
(b) [No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid ]For furnishing a certificate
of birth to a member of the Kentucky National Guard who has received
deployment orders during the sixty (60) days prior to the furnishing of the
certificate;[.]
(c) [No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid ]For furnishing a certificate
of birth to a child who is in the custody of or committed to the cabinet,
including a child who has extended commitment to the cabinet in accordance
with KRS 610.110(6);[.]
(d) [No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid ]For furnishing a certificate
of birth to a homeless individual as defined in KRS 198A.700, or a homeless
youth as defined in 42 U.S.C. sec. 11434a(2) who is under twenty-five (25)
years of age, provided the homeless individual or homeless youth has been
verified as homeless by at least one (1) of the following:
1. A director or designee of a governmental or nonprofit agency that
receives public or private funding to provide services to homeless
people;
2. A local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths
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designated pursuant to 42 U.S.C. sec. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) or a school
social worker or school counselor;
3. The director or director's designee of a federal TRIO Program or a
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program; or
4. A financial aid administrator for an institution of higher education;[.]
(e) For furnishing a certificate of death of an individual who has died in the
line of duty to state or federal agencies, as defined by the applicable
provisions of Kentucky Revised Statutes; or
(f) Upon the Governor's declaration of a natural disaster within the state, and
when the commissioner of the Department for Public Health declares a
waiver of the fee for a vital record certificate for the victims of the disaster.
(5) The Office of Vital Statistics may waive the fee for verification of a vital event
requested by a member of a state or federal law enforcement agency authorized to
investigate matters involving public safety.
(6) (a)[(5)] The cabinet shall notify the State Board of Elections monthly of the
name, address, birthdate, sex, race, and Social Security number of residents of
the Commonwealth who died during the previous month. This data shall
include only those persons who were over the age of eighteen (18) years at the
date of death. No fee or compensation shall be allowed for furnishing these
lists.
(b) To ensure the State Board of Elections accurately removes names from the
voter registration records it maintains, the cabinet shall provide a copy of
the Annual Lifetime Kentucky Death Report to the State Board of Elections
on or before July 1 of each year.
Section 3. KRS 116.113 is amended to read as follows:
(1) (a) Upon receipt of notification from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services
or other reliable sources of the death of a person, the State Board of Elections
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shall within five (5) days cause the removal of the name of that person from
the voter registration records it maintains, except that no voter's name may be
removed during the period of time the registration books are closed for any
primary, general, or special election.
(b) To ensure that the State Board of Elections accurately removes names from
the voter registration records it maintains, the Cabinet for Health and Family
Services shall provide a copy of the Annual Lifetime Kentucky Death
Report[lifetime Kentucky death records] to the State Board of Elections on or
before July 1 of each year.
(2) Upon receipt of notification from the circuit clerk that a person has been declared
incompetent, the State Board of Elections shall within five (5) days cause the
removal of the name of that person from the voter registration records it maintains,
except that no voter's name may be removed during the period of time the
registration books are closed for any primary, general, or special election.
(3) Upon receipt of notification from the Administrative Office of the Courts that a
person has been excused from jury duty for not being a citizen of the United States,
the State Board of Elections shall within five (5) days cause the removal of the
name of that person from the voter registration records it maintains, except that no
voter's name may be removed during the period of time the registration books are
closed for any primary, general, or special election.
(4) Upon receipt of notification from the Administrative Office of the Courts or the
United States Department of Justice that a person has been convicted of a felony
offense, the State Board of Elections shall within five (5) days cause the removal of
the name of that person from the voter registration records it maintains, except that
no voter's name may be removed during the period of time the registration books
are closed for any primary, general, or special election.
(5) Upon receipt of notification from a local or state jurisdiction that a voter has
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registered to vote in the new local or state jurisdiction outside of the
Commonwealth, the State Board of Elections shall within five (5) days cause the
removal of the name of that person from the voter registration records that it
maintains, except that no voter's name may be removed during the period of time
the registration books are closed for any primary, regular election, or special
election.
(6) Following the purge of a name from the records of the State Board of Elections, the
state board shall notify the clerk of the county in which the voter lived of the action;
and the county clerk shall within ten (10) days update the county voter registration
files to reflect the necessary change. If a protest is filed by the voter, the county
board shall hear it at its next regular monthly meeting. If the county board decides
in favor of the protesting voter, the voter's registration record shall be restored,
including his or her voting record. If the protest is filed while the registration books
are closed and the county board decides in favor of the protesting voter, the county
board shall issue the voter an "Authorization to Vote" for the upcoming election
and the voter's record shall be restored when the registration books open following
the election.
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Amend KRS 213.136 to establish processes and procedures for requesing vital statistics records from the state or county registrar; amend KRS 213.141 to increase the fee for a certified copy of a vital statistic record to $10; establish fee exceptions; increase the fee for a certified copy of a birth record to $15; establish fee exceptions; establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall provide a copy of the Annual Lifetime Kentucky Death Report to the State Board of Elections on or before July 1 of each year; amend KRS 116.113 to conform.

Sponsors

Sen. Craig Richardson (R) sponsors SB 147 alone.

Committees

SB 147 went before 5 committees: Committee on Committees, Health Services, Rules, Committee On Committees and Appropriations and Revenue.

Committee on Committees
Committee on Committees
Referred to · Feb 2, 2026
Health Services
Health Services
Referred to · Mar 10, 2026
Rules
Rules
Referred to · Mar 12, 2026
Committee On Committees
Committee On Committees
Referred to · Mar 17, 2026 · 52 Bills
Appropriations and Revenue
Appropriations and Revenue
Referred to · Apr 15, 2026 · 156 Bills

History

SB 147 has taken 14 actions since Feb 2, 2026, the latest on Apr 15, 2026.

ChamberAction
Apr 15, 2026
House
recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
Mar 26, 2026
House
floor amendments (1) and (2-title) filed
Mar 20, 2026
House
2nd reading, to Rules
Mar 19, 2026
House
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
Mar 18, 2026
House
to Health Services (H)

Votes

SB 147 went to 1 roll call in the Senate, the latest on Mar 13, 2026 at 380.

ChamberQuestion
Yea
Nay
Mar 13, 2026
Senate
Senate: Third Reading RSN# 3927
38
0

Source: apps.legislature.ky.gov · legiscan.com