(a) Upon receipt of a written application the Registrar shall issue a certified copy of all or part of a vital record in his or her custody to any applicant having a direct and tangible interest in the vital record. Each copy issued shall show the date of registration. A copy issued from records marked “delayed” or “amended” shall show the date of registration and the effective date. The documentary evidence used to establish a delayed certificate shall be shown on each copy issued. For purposes of this subsection the following rules apply:
(1) The registrant, a member of his or her immediate family, his or her guardian, or their respective legal representatives shall be considered to have a direct and tangible interest. Others may demonstrate a direct and tangible interest when information is needed for determination or protection of a personal or property right;
(2) The term “legal representative” shall include an attorney, physician, funeral director, or other authorized agent acting in behalf of the registrant or his or her family;
(3) The natural parents of adopted children, when neither has custody, and commercial firms or agencies requesting listings of names and addresses shall not be considered to have a direct and tangible interest;
(4) A certified copy provided under this subsection shall be restricted to the information contained in the pronouncement of death section and shall not include the facts of the medical cause or causes of death reported under § 7-211(e) and (f) unless a qualified applicant having a direct and tangible interest in the death certificate makes a specific request for a certified copy of the medical certification of cause of death section, in which case the Registrar shall provide a separate certified copy of the medical certification of the cause of death section.
(b) A certified copy of all or part of a vital record, issued in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, shall be considered for all purposes the same as the original and shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated in the record. The evidentiary value of a certificate or record filed more than 1 year after the event or a record which has been amended shall be determined by the judicial or administrative body or official before whom the certificate is offered as evidence.
(c) The Registrar may supply copies or data from the system of vital records to the federal agency responsible for national vital statistics, as that agency may require for national statistics purposes, if the federal agency shares in the cost of collecting, processing, and transmitting such data. The data shall not be used for other than statistical purposes by the federal agency without authorization from the Registrar.
(d) Federal, state, District, and other public or private agencies may upon request be furnished copies or data from the system of vital records for statistical or administrative purposes upon such terms or conditions as may be prescribed by regulation. The copies or data shall not be used for purposes other than those for which they were requested.
(e) The Registrar may, by agreement, transmit copies of records and other reports required by this chapter to offices of vital records outside the District, when such 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 provide for the retention and disposition of such copies. Copies received by the Registrar from offices of vital records in the states shall be handled in the same manner as prescribed in this section.
(f) No person shall prepare or issue any certificate which purports to be an original, certified copy, or copy of a vital record except as authorized in this chapter or regulations issued under this chapter.
(g) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the Registrar from providing:
(1) Information or data from the pronouncement of death and the medical certification of cause of death sections of the death certificate in accordance with §§ 7-219(b) and 7-220(c), (d), and (e); or
(2) A certified copy of the complete death certificate, including the pronouncement of death and the medical certification of cause of death sections, to an insurer, who has a direct and tangible interest in the death certificate, and who has issued a policy to or on behalf of the deceased which provides financial or monetary benefits payable upon the death of the deceased.
(h) The Registrar shall disclose information contained in vital records, or copies of vital records, to the IV-D agency upon request, for purposes directly related to paternity establishment or the establishment, modification, or enforcement of a support order.
CREDIT(S)
(Oct. 8, 1981, D.C. Law 4-34, § 21, 28 DCR 3271; Mar. 13, 1992, D.C. Law 9-180, § 2(d), (e), 39 DCR 8078; Apr. 3, 2001, D.C. Law 13-269, § 104(e), 48 DCR 1270.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 6-220.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 13-269 added subsec. (h).
Temporary Amendments of Section
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 3(e) of Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Temporary Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Law 12-103, May 8, 1998, law notification 45 DCR 3254).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 3(e) of Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Temporary Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Law 12-210, April 13, 1999, law notification 46 DCR 3832).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Temporary Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Law 13-57, March 7, 2000, law notification 47 DCR 1979).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Temporary Amendment Act of 2000 (D.C. Law 13-207, March 31, 2001, law notification 48 DCR 3238).
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary amendment of section, see § 3(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Emergency Amendment Act of 1997 (D.C. Act 12-222, December 23, 1997, 44 DCR 114).
For temporary amendment of section, see § 3(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-309, March 20, 1998, 45 DCR 1923), § 3(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Second Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-439, August 12, 1998, 45 DCR 6110), § 3(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Legislative Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-503, October 27, 1998, 45 DCR 8495), and § 3(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Second Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-600, January 20, 1999, 46 DCR 1239).
For temporary repeal of D.C. Law 12-103, see § 13 of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Second Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-439, August 12, 1998, 45 DCR 6110).
For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-126, August 4, 1999, 46 DCR 6606).
For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Legislative Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-177, November 2, 1999, 46 DCR 9678).
For temporary (90-day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-241, January 11, 2000, 47 DCR 581).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 103(e) of the Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Emergency Amendment Act of 2000 (D.C. Act 13-446, November 7, 2000, 47 DCR 9213).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 104(e) of Child Support and Welfare Reform Compliance Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2001 (D.C. Act 14-5, February 13, 2001, 48 DCR 2440).
Legislative History of Laws
For legislative history of D.C. Law 4-34, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 7-201.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 9-180, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 7-201.
For D.C. Law 13-269, see notes following § 7-201.
