HB 2 - BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR STILLBIRTH 8:03:29 AM CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 2, "An Act relating to the issuance of a certificate of birth resulting in a stillbirth." [Before the committee was CSHB 2(HSS).] 8:03:55 AM SANDRA WILSON, Staff, Representative Carl Gatto, Alaska State Legislature, explained that HB 2 is intended to bring closure to parents grieving over the loss of a stillborn child by providing them with the option of obtaining a birth certificate for their stillborn child, thereby validating their loss. Currently, she relayed, 26 states offer such an option, and 7 other states are considering legislation similar to HB 2. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO, speaking as the sponsor of HB 2, mentioned that back when the sponsor statement was written, only 25 states offered such an option. CHAIR RAMRAS noted that during the Twenty-Fifth Alaska State Legislature, legislation similar to HB 2 passed out of the House Judiciary Standing Committee. REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked whether HB 2 differs from that past legislation. MS. WILSON said that [CSHB 2(HSS)] no longer uses the term "stillborn"; only uses the term "stillbirth"; and uses definitions already in statute. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO characterized the issuance of a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth as a gift to grieving parents. 8:06:15 AM MICHELLE HOYT relayed that she gave birth to her daughter, Haley Inez (ph), on March 30, 2004, and that although her daughter was born dead, she still had to go through the birthing process, and do so while also going through the grieving process; unfortunately, the State would only acknowledge that her daughter died on that day, and not that she was also born on that day. "How can you have a death certificate without a birth certificate?" she asked, pointing out that she had to experience the birthing process, her milk drying up, pregnancy-related weight gain, depression, going home without a child, making funeral arraignments, and paying all the same hospital bills associated with having a child. She asked the committee to support HB 2 in order that it may help bring closure to many grieving parents by having the State acknowledge that their stillborn children were actually born, that they were human beings brought into the world just like all other children; regardless that such grieving will never truly end, at least parents will have what she characterized as a "positive" piece of paper about their lost children. CHAIR RAMRAS, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 2. 8:07:41 AM REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM moved to report [CSHB 2(HSS)] out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 2(HSS) was reported from committee.