An Act to amend and reenact § 32.1-273 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Office of Vital Records; fees for certified copies; report.
HB450 amends Virginia law governing the Office of Vital Records and the fees charged for certified copies of vital records and related searches. The bill raises the maximum fee the Board may prescribe for a certified copy of a vital record, or for a search when no copy is made, from $12 to $15. It also updates the fee structure for copies issued through the Department of Motor Vehicles, increasing the amount collected and transmitted to the State Registrar from $12 to $15, while retaining the separate $2 DMV processing fee.
The bill preserves existing exemptions and special handling for certain requestors. Veterans and their survivors continue to be entitled to no-charge copies when the record is needed to obtain service-connected benefits, including copies provided to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Veterans Services. The bill also keeps the exemption for homeless youth and the provisions allowing local registrars, county and city governments, and local social services agencies to handle or remit fees under existing rules. In addition, it requires the State Registrar to continue providing an annual report on revenues, expenditures, cash balances, and projected funding needs for the Office of Vital Records.
HB450 directly amends § 32.1-273 of the Code of Virginia, increasing the statutory fee cap for certified vital records and searches and adjusting the distribution of those fees among the Vital Statistics Automation Fund, a special fund for chapter administration, and the general fund. It affects the Office of Vital Records, the Department of Motor Vehicles, local registrars, county and city governments, and local departments of social services by changing the amount collected and transmitted for vital record services while leaving most existing exemptions and remittance procedures intact. The bill also reinforces fiscal oversight by continuing the annual reporting requirement to the Governor and legislative finance leaders.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote, so there is no documented debate in the provided materials. Based on the enacted text, the bill appears to be a routine administrative and fee-adjustment measure rather than a controversial policy change. Its structure suggests a generally practical fiscal purpose: updating fees to better match costs and maintain funding for vital records operations while preserving exemptions for veterans, survivors, and homeless youth.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee or vote history. The most likely areas of concern would be the fee increase itself, especially for individuals obtaining vital records for personal or administrative reasons, and how the additional revenue is allocated between the automation fund, special fund, and general fund. At the same time, the bill explicitly protects veterans, their survivors, and homeless youth from fees in certain circumstances, which may have reduced opposition from affected advocacy groups.