An Act amending the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, in general provisions, further providing for definitions; and, in death and fetal death registration, further providin, the official text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2297
PRINTER'S NO.  2716
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1851
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY CURRY, HILL-EVANS, WAXMAN, GUZMAN, PIELLI, OTTEN,
CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, CERRATO, PROBST, BOROWSKI, RIVERA, MAYES,
HOHENSTEIN, SHUSTERMAN, SANCHEZ AND GREEN, SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
AS AMENDED, DECEMBER 17, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), entitled "An
act providing for the administration of a statewide system of
vital statistics; prescribing the functions of the State
Department of Health, the State Advisory Health Board and
local registrars; imposing duties upon coroners,
prothonotaries, clerks of orphans' court, physicians,
midwives and other persons; requiring reports and
certificates for the registration of vital statistics;
regulating the disposition of dead bodies; limiting the
disclosure of records; prescribing the sufficiency of vital
statistics records as evidence; prescribing fees and
penalties; and revising and consolidating the laws relating
thereto," IN GENERAL PROVISIONS, FURTHER PROVIDING FOR
DEFINITIONS; AND, in death and fetal death registration,
further providing for information for certificates AND FOR
CORONER REFERRALS.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1.  Section 502(2) and (3) of the act of June 29,
1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of
1953, are amended to read:
SECTION 1.  SECTION 105 OF THE ACT OF JUNE 29, 1953 (P.L.304,
NO.66), KNOWN AS THE VITAL STATISTICS LAW OF 1953, IS AMENDED BY
ADDING A PARAGRAPH TO READ:
SECTION 105.  GENERAL PROVISIONS: DEFINITIONS.--AS USED IN
THIS ACT, THE FOLLOWING WORDS AND PHRASES SHALL HAVE THE
MEANINGS GIVEN TO THEM IN THIS SECTION UNLESS THE CONTEXT
CLEARLY INDICATES OTHERWISE--
* * *
(13)  "MIDWIFE" MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL LICENSED UNDER THE ACT OF
DECEMBER 20, 1985 (P.L.457, NO.112), KNOWN AS THE "MEDICAL
PRACTICE ACT OF 1985."
SECTION 2.  SECTIONS 502(2) AND (3) AND 503 OF THE ACT ARE
AMENDED TO READ:
Section 502.  Death and Fetal Death Registration: Information
for Certificates.--In preparing a certificate of death or fetal
death, the person in charge of interment or of removal of a dead
body or fetal remains from the registration district shall
obtain the required information. The following persons shall
supply the information certified by their respective signatures:
* * *
(2)  Subject to the limitation contained in clause (3), the
medical certification, except in the event of a referral to the
coroner pursuant to section five hundred three of this act,
shall be supplied (i) in the case of a death, by the physician,
certified registered nurse practitioner or physician assistant
or (ii) dentist who is a staff member of an approved hospital
who attended the deceased during the last illness, provided the
death occurs in the hospital and the deceased had been admitted
on the dental service, and (iii) in the case of a fetal death,
by the attending physician, certified registered nurse
practitioner [or], physician assistant or    certified nurse
midwife.
(3)  In all cases where the physician, certified registered
nurse practitioner, physician assistant,   certified nurse    midwife
or dentist who would otherwise supply the medical certification
is a member of the immediate family of the deceased, the case
shall be referred to another physician, certified registered
nurse practitioner, physician assistant,   certified nurse    midwife
or dentist who qualifies under clause (2) for a medical
certification. In the event a qualified alternate physician,
certified registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant,
certified nurse    midwife    or dentist is unavailable or unwilling
to provide the medical certification required by law, the case
shall be referred to the coroner of the county wherein the death
occurred or to a coroner of an adjacent county. In no event
shall a coroner sign a certificate of death or fetal death for a
deceased who was a member of his immediate family.
SECTION 503.  DEATH AND FETAL DEATH REGISTRATION: CORONER
REFERRALS.--THE LOCAL REGISTRAR OR PERSON IN CHARGE OF INTERMENT
OR OTHER PERSON HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE DEATH OR FETAL DEATH
SHALL REFER TO THE CORONER THE FOLLOWING CASES: (1) WHERE NO
PHYSICIAN, CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONER, PHYSICIAN
ASSISTANT OR DENTIST WHO IS A STAFF MEMBER OF AN APPROVED
HOSPITAL WAS IN ATTENDANCE DURING THE LAST ILLNESS OF THE
DECEASED OR IN THE CASE OF A FETAL DEATH WHERE THERE WAS NO
ATTENDING PHYSICIAN, CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONER
[OR], PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT OR MIDWIFE OR (2) WHERE THE PHYSICIAN,
CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONER, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT OR
DENTIST WHO IS A STAFF MEMBER OF AN APPROVED HOSPITAL IN
ATTENDANCE DURING THE LAST ILLNESS OF THE DECEASED OR THE
ATTENDING PHYSICIAN, CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE PRACTITIONER
[OR], PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT OR MIDWIFE IN THE CASE OF A FETAL
DEATH IS PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO SUPPLY THE NECESSARY DATA, OR (3)
WHERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES SUGGEST THAT THE DEATH WAS SUDDEN OR
VIOLENT OR SUSPICIOUS IN NATURE OR WAS THE RESULT OF OTHER THAN
NATURAL CAUSES, OR (4) WHERE THE PHYSICIAN, CERTIFIED REGISTERED
NURSE PRACTITIONER, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, MIDWIFE, DENTIST OR
CORONER WHO PROVIDED OR WOULD PROVIDE THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATION
IS A MEMBER OF THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY OF THE DECEASED. IN EVERY
INSTANCE OF A REFERRAL UNDER THIS SECTION, THE CORONER SHALL
MAKE AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION AND SHALL SUPPLY THE NECESSARY
DATA, INCLUDING THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATION OF THE DEATH OR FETAL
DEATH. IN NO EVENT SHALL A CORONER SIGN A CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
OR FETAL DEATH FOR A DECEASED WHO WAS A MEMBER OF HIS IMMEDIATE
FAMILY.
Section 2 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.