Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive | Neutral |
Relating to the availability of death records of unidentified persons.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
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.
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.