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Bill would require medical certifiers to use state electronic reporting for death certificates, sponsors say it speeds registration
Summary
House Bill 3127 would require medical certifiers and medical examiners to use the state electronic reporting system (OVERS) to complete cause-of-death entries. Sponsors said electronic filing speeds registration and helps families receive documents and benefits sooner.
Representative Mark Owens (testimony read by staff) introduced House Bill 3127, which would require medical certifiers and medical examiners to use the State’s electronic reporting system (OVERS) when completing the cause-of-death portion of death records.
The sponsor’s testimony summarized work that followed 2023’s House Bill 2420, which convened a work group to propose options for equitable access to vital records. That work group recommended universal reporting to the State electronic system. Representative Owens noted that registering deaths through the state system averages about seven days, while paper reporting averages roughly 28 days; faster registration helps families obtain certified copies for benefits, insurance, and settlement matters.
Testimony from funeral directors and mortuary associations (represented on the phone and in written testimony) reinforced the sponsor’s point: delays caused by paper reporting and unreturned or incomplete paper certificates cause extended waits for grieving families and extra administrative burden on funeral providers. The sponsor also noted an amendment to preserve the option for families and tribes to complete a paper death record for home-burial practices.
The committee closed the public hearing after testimony; no committee action or vote was recorded in the transcript.
