HB 1148 revises Indiana’s public records and vital records laws to change when birth and stillbirth records become publicly available, while preserving existing confidentiality rules for adopted children. The bill adds a new section providing that a birth or stillbirth registration/certificate becomes open to public inspection and copying 99 years after its creation date. It also updates related vital statistics provisions to align with that new timeline and clarifies that local health officers and the state registrar continue to apply existing direct-interest and identification requirements for most requests before that point.
The bill also amends Indiana’s public records statute to add birth and stillbirth records to the list of records that become available after 75 years, while separately creating the 99-year rule in the vital records chapter. It retains confidentiality for adoption-related birth records and keeps in place existing protections for Social Security numbers, medical records, law enforcement records, and other exempt categories. It further allows death certificates to be released in non-certified form with Social Security numbers redacted, and permits the state registrar to deny access when there is reasonable suspicion that disclosure could lead to fraud or identity theft.
Impact
HB 1148 primarily affects IC 16-37-1 governing vital statistics and IC 5-14-3 governing access to public records. Its practical effect is to establish a later public-release date for birth and stillbirth records, standardize access rules for those records, and preserve adoption confidentiality and anti-fraud safeguards. The bill also makes conforming changes to how local health officers and the state registrar handle certified copies, research access, and death certificate disclosure.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little recorded opposition. It passed the House 91-0 and the Senate 45-1, suggesting general agreement with the policy of clarifying and extending confidentiality for birth and stillbirth records while preserving eventual public access. No committee transcript is available, so the recorded votes are the main indicator of sentiment.
Contention
The main policy issue is the balance between privacy and historical access. Supporters of the bill likely favor protecting sensitive birth and stillbirth information for a longer period and maintaining safeguards against fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized disclosure. Any potential concern would come from historians, genealogists, researchers, or members of the public who may prefer earlier access to vital records, but the near-unanimous votes indicate that any such concerns did not generate significant legislative resistance.