An act relating to expanding family access to certified copies of birth and death certificates
H.153 amends Vermont’s vital records law to expand who may obtain certified copies of birth and death certificates. Under current law, certain close relatives and other authorized persons may request these records; this bill adds aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews to the list of eligible family members. The change applies to both birth and death certificates and is framed as an expansion of family access to certified copies.
The bill makes a targeted amendment to 18 V.S.A. § 5016, which governs inspection and certified copies of vital records. It does not change the underlying recordkeeping system or the confidentiality rules generally, but it broadens the class of people who can lawfully request certified copies from the state. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, if enacted.
If enacted, H.153 would directly amend Vermont’s vital records statute, 18 V.S.A. § 5016, by expanding eligibility for certified copies of birth and death certificates to include additional extended family members. This would affect the Department of Health’s issuance practices and make it easier for aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews to obtain records that may be needed for genealogy, estate matters, family history, or other personal and legal purposes.
The available record shows a generally straightforward and noncontroversial bill with a narrow administrative purpose. The bill’s sponsors appear to support expanding access to family members, and there is no recorded committee testimony or vote history indicating opposition or debate. Overall, the measure appears to have been presented as a modest family-access improvement rather than a major policy change.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided materials. The only substantive policy question apparent from the text is whether the list of eligible relatives for certified copies should be expanded beyond the existing close-family categories. Any concerns would likely center on balancing broader family access against privacy and record-security considerations, but no named opponents or competing positions are shown in the available context.