00 HOUSE BILL NO. 129 01 "An Act relating to providing a death certificate for a deceased veteran without 02 charge." 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 charge, the bureau shall issue one 23 certified copy of the death certificate of a veteran to an eligible recipient for the 24 purpose of satisfying an eligibility requirement for a benefit related to the death 25 of the veteran; in this paragraph, 26 (A) "eligible recipient" means 27 (i) the deceased veteran's surviving spouse or other 28 relative; 29 (ii) the deceased veteran's heir or devisee; or 30 (iii) the administrator, executor, personal 31 representative, foreign personal representative, beneficiary, 01 conservator, fiduciary, special administrator, successor personal 02 administrator, or trustee of the deceased veteran's estate; 03 (B) "veteran" means an individual who was 04 (i) on active duty at the time of the veteran's death 05 or had received an honorable or general discharge from a branch 06 of the armed services of the United States, the Alaska Scouts, the 07 Alaska Territorial Guard, the Alaska Army National Guard, the 08 Alaska Air National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia, the United 09 States Coast Guard, or a reserve unit of the United States armed 10 forces or United States Coast Guard in Alaska; and 11 (ii) a resident of Alaska at the time of the 12 individual's death.