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SB-313 • 2026

Vital records: birth certificates.

Vital records: birth certificates.

Children Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Cervantes
Last action
2025-10-12
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 669, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific information on how or why the new requirement for parents' places of birth will be used.

Birth Certificates: New Information Requirements

A new law changes what information must be included on birth certificates starting July 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the information needed for a birth certificate to include each parent's place of birth in the medical and social portion of the document.
  • Requires that the parents' places of birth stay private and not be shared with others.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are born after July 1, 2027, will have their birth certificates made differently.
  • Local registrars of births and deaths must follow these new rules for birth certificates.

Terms To Know

Certificate of live birth
A document that shows important information about a baby's birth, like the names of the parents and where they were born.
Confidential
Kept secret or private so only certain people can see it.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what will happen to birth certificates made before July 1, 2027.
  • It is unclear why the new information about parents' places of birth is important and how it will be used.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-12 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 669, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-12 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-22 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.

  4. 2025-09-11 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 10. Page 2881.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 14. Page 3173.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  9. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Assembly Rule 69(b)(1) suspended.

  10. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  11. 2025-08-29 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (August 29).

  12. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  13. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  14. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  15. 2025-07-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 12. Noes 1.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  16. 2025-06-09 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.

  17. 2025-06-03 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  18. 2025-06-02 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1392.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  19. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  20. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1195.) (May 23).

  21. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  22. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  23. 2025-05-06 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 12.

  24. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  25. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 1. Page 939.) (April 29).

  26. 2025-04-24 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 9. Noes 2. Page 868.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  27. 2025-04-17 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 29 in JUD. pending receipt.

  28. 2025-04-04 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 23.

  29. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.

  30. 2025-03-26 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  31. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

  32. 2025-02-11 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 13.

  33. 2025-02-10 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 313, Cervantes.
Vital records: birth certificates.
Existing law requires each live birth to be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths for the district in which the birth occurred, and prescribes specified information to be listed on a certificate of live birth, including the full name and sex of the child and the full name, birthplace, and date of birth of each parent. Existing law requires, in addition to the information mentioned above, the certificate of live birth to contain specified medical and social information, including, among other things, race and ethnicity of the mother and any other parent, and requires that information to be kept confidential.
This bill, commencing July 1, 2027,
would instead require the birthplace of each parent to be contained in the medical and social portion of the certificate of live birth and to be kept confidential.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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