STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1719
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting charg-
ing a fee to obtain a certified copy or certified transcript of birth
when the department of corrections and community supervision or a
local correctional facility requests such for an individual under
community supervision
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 4174 of the public health law, as
2 amended by section 2 of part E of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 4. No fee shall be charged for a search, certification, certificate,
5 certified copy or certified transcript of a record to be used for school
6 entrance, employment certificate or for purposes of public relief or
7 when required by the veterans administration to be used in determining
8 the eligibility of any person to participate in the benefits made avail-
9 able by the veterans administration or when required by a board of
10 elections for the purposes of determining voter eligibility or when
11 requested by the department of corrections and community supervision or
12 a local correctional facility as defined in subdivision sixteen of
13 section two of the correction law for the purpose of providing a certi-
14 fied copy or certified transcript of birth to an incarcerated individual
15 in anticipation of such incarcerated individual's release from custody
16 or to an individual under community supervision in connection with such
17 individual's ongoing supervision in the community or to obtain a death
18 certificate to be used for administrative purposes for an incarcerated
19 individual who has died under custody or when requested by the office of
20 children and family services or an authorized agency for the purpose of
21 providing a certified copy or certified transcript of birth to a youth
22 placed in the care and custody or custody and guardianship of the local
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03683-01-5
A. 1719 2
1 commissioner of social services or the care and custody or custody and
2 guardianship of the office of children and family services in antic-
3 ipation of such youth's discharge from placement or foster care. Whenev-
4 er a request is made by the department of corrections and community
5 supervision for a certified copy or certified transcript of birth on
6 behalf of an incarcerated individual pursuant to this section, a certi-
7 fied copy of the sentence and commitment or certificate of conviction
8 shall be deemed to grant authorization by the incarcerated individual to
9 the department to submit such request on their behalf, and no other
10 authorization shall be required.
11 § 2. Section 4179 of the public health law, as amended by section 3 of
12 part E of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
13 § 4179. Vital records; fees; city of New York. Notwithstanding the
14 provisions of paragraph one of subdivision a of section 207.13 of the
15 health code of the city of New York, the department of health shall
16 charge, and the applicant shall pay, for a search of two consecutive
17 calendar years under one name and the issuance of a certificate of
18 birth, death or termination of pregnancy, or a certification of birth or
19 death, or a certification that the record cannot be found, a fee of
20 fifteen dollars for each copy. Provided, however, that no such fee shall
21 be charged when the department of corrections and community supervision
22 or a local correctional facility as defined in subdivision sixteen of
23 section two of the correction law requests a certificate of birth or
24 certification of birth for the purpose of providing such certificate of
25 birth or certification of birth to an incarcerated individual in antic-
26 ipation of such incarcerated individual's release from custody or to an
27 individual under community supervision in connection with such individ-
28 ual's ongoing supervision in the community or to obtain a death certif-
29 icate to be used for administrative purposes for an incarcerated indi-
30 vidual who has died under custody or when the office of children and
31 family services or an authorized agency requests a certified copy or
32 certified transcript of birth for a youth placed in the custody of the
33 local commissioner of social services or the custody of the office of
34 children and family services pursuant to article three of the family
35 court act for the purpose of providing such certified copy or certified
36 transcript of birth to such youth in anticipation of discharge from
37 placement. Whenever a request is made by the department of corrections
38 and community supervision for a certified copy or certified transcript
39 of birth on behalf of an incarcerated individual pursuant to this
40 section, a certified copy of the sentence and commitment or certificate
41 of conviction shall be deemed to grant authorization by the incarcerated
42 individual to the department to submit such request on their behalf, and
43 no other authorization shall be required.
44 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
