Connecticut General Statutes 7-51 – Access to and examination and issuance of certified copies of birth and fetal death records or certificates restricted. Access to and disclosure of confidential information restricted. Fee waiver for certified copi…
(a)(1) The department and registrars of vital statistics shall restrict access to and issuance of a certified copy of birth and fetal death records and certificates less than one hundred years old, to the following eligible parties: (A) The person whose birth is recorded, if such person is (i) over eighteen years of age, (ii) a certified homeless youth, as defined in section 7-36, or (iii) a minor emancipated pursuant to sections 46b-150 to 46b-150e, inclusive; (B) such person’s child, grandchild, spouse, parent, guardian or grandparent; (C) the chief executive officer of the municipality where the birth or fetal death occurred, or the chief executive officer’s authorized agent; (D) the local director of health for the town or city where the birth or fetal death occurred or where the person who gave birth was a resident at the time of the birth or fetal death, or the director’s authorized agent; (E) attorneys-at-law representing such person or such person’s parent, guardian, child or surviving spouse; (F) a conservator of the person appointed for such person; (G) a member of a genealogical society incorporated or authorized by the Secretary of the State to do business or conduct affairs in this state; (H) an agent of a state or federal agency as approved by the department; and (I) a researcher approved by the department pursuant to section 19a-25.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 7-51
- Certified copy: means a copy of a birth, death, fetal death or marriage certificate that (A) includes all information on the certificate except such information that is nondisclosable by law, (B) is issued or transmitted by any registrar of vital statistics, (C) includes an attested signature and the raised seal of an authorized person, and (D) if submitted to the department, includes all information required by the commissioner. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Certified homeless young adult: means a person who is at least eighteen years of age but less than twenty-five years of age who has been certified as homeless by (A) a school district homeless liaison, (B) the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the director's designee, (C) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or the director's designee, or (D) the director of a program of a nonprofit organization or municipality that is contracted with the homeless youth program established pursuant to section 17a-62a. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Certified homeless youth: means a person who is at least fifteen years of age but less than eighteen years of age, is not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian, who is a homeless child or youth, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time, and who has been certified as homeless by (A) a school district homeless liaison, (B) the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the director's designee, (C) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or the director's designee, or (D) the director of a program of a nonprofit organization or municipality that is contracted with the homeless youth program established pursuant to section 17a-62a. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner's designee. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Department: means the Department of Public Health. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Parentage: includes matters relating to adoption, surrogacy agreements, paternity and maternity. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- registrar: means the registrar of births, marriages, deaths and fetal deaths or any public official charged with the care of returns relating to vital statistics. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Vital records: means a certificate of birth, death, fetal death or marriage. See Connecticut General Statutes 7-36
(2) Except as provided in section 7-53 and section 19a-42a, access to confidential files on parentage, adoption, gender change or surrogacy agreements, or information contained within such files, shall not be released to any party, including the eligible parties listed in subdivision (1) of this subsection, except upon an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(b) No person other than the eligible parties listed in subsection (a) of this section shall be entitled to examine or receive a copy of any birth or fetal death record or certificate, access the information contained therein, or disclose any matter contained therein, except upon written order of a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit disclosure to any person, including the eligible parties listed in subsection (a) of this section, of information contained in the “information for health and statistical use only” section or the “administrative purposes only” section of a birth certificate, unless specifically authorized by the department for statistical or research purposes. The Social Security number of the parent or parents listed on any birth certificate shall not be released to any party, except to those persons or entities authorized by state or federal law. Such confidential information, other than the excluded information set forth in this subsection, shall not be subject to subpoena or court order and shall not be admissible before any court or other tribunal.
(c) (1) The registrar of the town in which the birth or fetal death occurred or of the town in which the birth parent resided at the time of the birth or fetal death, or the department, may issue a certified copy of the certificate of birth or fetal death of any person born in this state that is kept in paper form in the custody of the registrar. Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, such certificate shall be issued upon the written request of an eligible party listed in subsection (a) of this section. Any registrar of vital statistics in this state with access, as authorized by the department, to the electronic vital records system of the department may issue a certified copy of the electronically filed certificate of birth or fetal death of any person born in this state upon the written request of an eligible party listed in subsection (a) of this section. The registrar and the department may waive the fee for the issuance of a certified copy of the certificate of birth of a certified homeless young adult to such young adult under this subsection.
(2) In the case of a certified homeless youth, such certified homeless youth and the person who is certifying the certified homeless youth as homeless, as described in section 7-36, shall appear in person when the certified homeless youth is presenting the written request described in subdivision (1) of this subsection at (A) the office of the registrar of the town in which the certified homeless youth was born, (B) the office of the registrar of the town in which the birth parent of the certified homeless youth resided at the time of the birth, (C) if the birth certificate of the certified homeless youth has been electronically filed, any registrar of vital statistics in the state with access, as authorized by the department, to the electronic vital records system, or (D) the state vital records office of the department. The certified homeless youth shall present to the registrar or the department information sufficient to identify himself or herself as may be required by regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to section 7-41. The person who is certifying the certified homeless youth as homeless shall present to the registrar or the department information sufficient to identify himself or herself as meeting the certification requirements of section 7-36. The registrar and the department may waive the fee for the issuance of a certified copy of the certificate of birth of a homeless youth to such youth under this subsection.
(d) The department and each registrar of vital statistics shall issue only certified copies of birth certificates or fetal death certificates, except as provided in sections 7-51a and 7-53.