Bill Caption

Relating to the availability of death records of unidentified persons.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

SB 1485 would amend Section 552.115 (EXCEPTION: Confidentiality of Birth and Death Certificates) of the Government Code. This legislation would allow the death certificate of an unidentified deceased person to become public information a year after the death occurs. 

Vote Recommendation Notes

Current law states that a person’s death certificate becomes public information 25-years after the time of death. This also applies to people who remain unidentified. Unfortunately, this length of time makes it difficult to identify the remains of a person. The longer a death certificate remains sealed the chances of successfully identifying the body lessens exponentially.

This legislation would significantly shorten the period for when an unidentified death certificate is withheld from the public.  The waiting period would be one year instead of 25 years before the record is released.

We support SB 1485 which affirms the principles of limited government and personal responsibility by making the identification of unidentified human remains easier.