00                      CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 167(STA)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to providing a death certificate for a deceased veteran without cost;                                  
02 and relating to a program to honor the memory of a deceased veteran."                                                   
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 18.50.320 is amended to read:                                                                     
05            Sec. 18.50.320.  Copies of data from vital records.  Except as otherwise                                   
06       provided and in accordance with the regulations adopted under AS 18.50.310,                                       
07                 (1)  the bureau and the custodian of permanent local records shall, upon                                
08       request, issue a certified copy of a certificate or record in their custody, or a part of it;                     
09       each copy issued must show the date of registration or recording, and copies issued                               
10       from records marked "delayed," "amended," or "court order" shall be similarly marked                              
11       and must show the effective date;                                                                                 
12                 (2)  a certified copy of a certificate or a part of it issued in accordance                             
13       with (1) of this section is considered the original for all purposes and is prima facie                           
14       evidence of the facts stated; however, [PROVIDED THAT] the evidentiary value of a                             

01       certificate or record filed more than one year after the event, or a record that has been                         
02       amended, or a presumptive death certificate, shall be determined by the judicial or                               
03       administrative body or official before whom the certificate is offered as evidence;                               
04                 (3)  the National Office of Vital Statistics may be furnished the copies                                
05       or data it requires for national statistics if the bureau is reimbursed for the cost of                           
06       furnishing the data; the National Office of Vital Statistics may not use the data for                             
07       purposes other than statistical purposes unless authorized by the state registrar;                                
08                 (4)  federal, state, local, and other public or private agencies, upon                                  
09       request, may be furnished copies or data for statistical purposes on the terms or                                 
10       conditions prescribed by the bureau;                                                                              
11                 (5)  a person or agency may not prepare or issue a certificate or part of                               
12       a certificate that purports to be an original, certified copy, or copy of a certificate of                        
13       birth, death, fetal death, or marriage, except as authorized in this chapter or the                               
14       regulations adopted under it;                                                                                     
15                 (6)  upon request, the bureau shall furnish a copy of a certificate or                                  
16       record registered by the bureau to the child support services agency created in                                   
17       AS 25.27.010, or the child support enforcement agency of another state, for child                                 
18       support purposes authorized under law; such a certificate or record that is prepared or                           
19       maintained in an electronic data base may be supplied by providing the requesting                                 
20       agency with a copy of the electronic certificate or record and a statement certifying its                         
21       contents;                                                                                                     
22                 (7)  upon request and without cost to the individual making the                                     
23       request, the bureau shall issue one certified copy of the death certificate of a                              
24       veteran to the surviving spouse, next of kin, or other relative of the deceased                               
25       veteran; in this paragraph, "veteran" has the meaning given in AS 26.10.080.                                  
26    * Sec. 2.  AS 26.10 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                    
27            Sec. 26.10.085.  Governor's memorial certificate program.  (a)  Upon                                       
28       request of the governor, the adjutant general of the Department of Military and                                   
29       Veterans' Affairs may conduct a program for honoring the memory of a deceased                                     
30       veteran, who was a resident of the state and was discharged under honorable                                       
31       conditions, by preparing and sending to an eligible recipient a certificate bearing the                           

01       signature of the governor and expressing the state's grateful recognition of the                                  
02       veteran's service in the armed forces, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Scouts,                              
03       the Alaska State Defense Force, or the Alaska Naval Militia.  The award of a                                      
04       certificate to one eligible recipient does not preclude authorization of another                                  
05       certificate if a request is received from another eligible recipient.                                             
06            (b)  The Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs shall determine the form                               
07       and content of the certificate and may adopt regulations necessary to administer the                              
08       program.                                                                                                          
09            (c)  In this section,                                                                                        
10                 (1)  "eligible recipient" means the surviving spouse, next of kin, or                                   
11       relative of the deceased veteran;                                                                                 
12                 (2)  "veteran" has the meaning given in AS 26.10.080.