193.255. Certified copies of vital records, issuance--probative value--cooperation with federal agencies and other states--issuance of certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, when.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

193.255. Certified copies of vital records, issuance--probative value--cooperation with federal agencies and other states--issuance of certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, when.

Certified copies of vital records, issuance--probativevalue--cooperation with federal agencies and other states--issuanceof certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, when.

193.255. 1. The state registrar and other custodians of vitalrecords authorized by the state registrar to issue certified copies ofvital records upon receipt of application shall issue a certified copy ofany vital record in his custody or a part thereof to any applicant having adirect and tangible interest in the vital record. Each copy issued shallshow the date of registration, and copies issued from records marked"Delayed" or "Amended" shall be similarly marked and show the effectivedate. The documentary evidence used to establish a delayed certificateshall be shown on all copies issued. All forms and procedures used in theissuance of certified copies of vital records in the state shall beprovided or approved by the state registrar.

2. A certified copy of a vital record or any part thereof, issued inaccordance with subsection 1 of this section, shall be considered for allpurposes the same as the original and shall be prima facie evidence of thefacts stated therein, provided that the evidentiary value of a certificateor record filed more than one year after the event, or a record which hasbeen amended, shall be determined by the judicial or administrative body orofficial before whom the certificate is offered as evidence.

3. The federal agency responsible for national vital statistics maybe furnished such copies or data from the system of vital statistics as itmay require for national statistics, provided such federal agency share inthe cost of collecting, processing, and transmitting such data, andprovided further that such data shall not be used for other thanstatistical purposes by the federal agency unless so authorized by thestate registrar.

4. Federal, state, local and other public or private agencies may,upon request, be furnished copies or data of any other vital statistics notobtainable under subsection 1 of this section for statistical oradministrative purposes upon such terms or conditions as may be prescribedby regulation, provided that such copies or data shall not be used forpurposes other than those for which they were requested unless soauthorized by the state registrar.

5. The state registrar may, by agreement, transmit copies of recordsand other reports required by sections 193.005 to 193.325 to offices ofvital statistics outside this state when such records or other reportsrelate to residents of those jurisdictions or persons born in thosejurisdictions. This agreement shall require that the copies be used forstatistical and administrative purposes only, and the agreement shallfurther provide for the retention and disposition of such copies. Copiesreceived by the department from offices of vital statistics in other statesshall be handled in the same manner as prescribed in this section.

6. No person shall prepare or issue any certificate which purports tobe an original, certified copy, or copy of a vital record except asauthorized herein or by regulations adopted hereunder.

7. Upon application from either parent, or if both parents aredeceased, the sibling of the stillborn child, pursuant to subsection 7 ofsection 193.165, the state registrar or other custodians of vital recordsshall issue to such applicant a certificate of birth resulting instillbirth. The certificate shall be based upon the information availablefrom the spontaneous fetal death report filed pursuant to section 193.165.Any certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth issued shall conspicuouslyinclude, in no smaller than twelve-point type, the statement "This is notproof of a live birth.". No certificate of birth resulting in stillbirthshall be issued to any person other than a parent, or if both parents aredeceased, the sibling of the stillborn child who files an applicationpursuant to section 193.165. The state registrar or other custodians ofvital records are* authorized to charge a minimal fee to such applicant tocover the actual costs of providing the certificate pursuant to thissection.

8. Any parent, or if both parents are deceased, any sibling of thestillborn child may file an application for a certificate of birthresulting in stillbirth for a birth that resulted in stillbirth prior toAugust 28, 2004.