Government record privacy

AN ACT Relating to protecting Washingtonians from invasion of 1
privacy, including the unauthorized disclosure of sex designation 2
information and historic sex designation changes in official 3
government records; amending RCW 46.20.091, 70.58A.500, 70.58A.510, 4
70.58A.520, 70.58A.530, and 70.58A.540; reenacting and amending RCW 5
42.56.230; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; and providing 6
an effective date. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:8
Sec. 1. RCW 42.56.230 and 2023 c 361 s 14, 2023 c 346 s 1, and 9
2023 c 182 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:10
The following personal information is exempt from public 11
inspection and copying under this chapter: 12
(1) Personal information in any files maintained for students in 13
public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public 14
health agencies, or welfare recipients; 15
(2)(a) Personal information: 16
(i) For a child enrolled in licensed child care in any files 17
maintained by the department of children, youth, and families;18
(ii) For a child enrolled in a public or nonprofit program 19
serving or pertaining to children, adolescents, or students, 20
including but not limited to early learning or child care services, 21
S-3789.1
SENATE BILL 6081
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Pedersen, Liias, Bateman, Dhingra, Frame, Hasegawa,
Nobles, Saldaña, Stanford, Valdez, and C. Wilson
Read first time 01/13/26. Referred to Committee on State Government,
Tribal Affairs & Elections.
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parks and recreation programs, youth development programs, and after-1
school programs; 2
(iii) For a student enrolled or previously enrolled in a local 3
education agency, in any records pertaining to the student, including 4
correspondence; 5
(iv) For the family members or guardians of a child who is 6
subject to the exemption under this subsection (2) if the family 7
member or guardian has the same last name as the child or if the 8
family member or guardian resides at the same address as the child 9
and disclosure of the family member's or guardian's information would 10
result in disclosure of the personal information exempted under 11
(a)(i) through (iii) of this subsection; or 12
(v) For substitute caregivers who are licensed or approved to 13
provide overnight care of children by the department of children, 14
youth, and families. 15
(b) Emergency contact information under this subsection (2) may 16
be provided to appropriate authorities and medical personnel for the 17
purpose of treating the individual during an emergency situation;18
(3) Personal information in files maintained for employees, 19
appointees, or elected officials of any public agency to the extent 20
that disclosure would violate their right to privacy;21
(4) Information required of any taxpayer in connection with the 22
assessment or collection of any tax if the disclosure of the 23
information to other persons would: (a) Be prohibited to such persons 24
by RCW 84.08.210, 82.32.330, 84.40.020, 84.40.340, or any ordinance 25
authorized under RCW 35.102.145; or (b) violate the taxpayer's right 26
to privacy or result in unfair competitive disadvantage to the 27
taxpayer; 28
(5) Credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check 29
numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial 30
information as defined in RCW 9.35.005 including social security 31
numbers, except when disclosure is expressly required by or governed 32
by other law; 33
(6) Personal and financial information related to a small loan or 34
any system of authorizing a small loan in RCW 31.45.093;35
(7)(a) Any record used to prove identity, age, residential 36
address, social security number, or other personal information 37
required to apply for a driver's license or identicard.38
(b) Information provided under RCW 46.20.111 that indicates that 39
an applicant declined to register with the selective service system.40
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(c) Any record pertaining to a vehicle license plate, driver's 1
license, or identicard issued under RCW 46.08.066 that, alone or in 2
combination with any other records, may reveal the identity of an 3
individual, the sex designation of an individual, or reveal that an 4
individual is or was, performing an undercover or covert law 5
enforcement, confidential public health work, public assistance 6
fraud, or child support investigative activity. This exemption does 7
not prevent the release of the total number of vehicle license 8
plates, drivers' licenses, or identicards that, under RCW 46.08.066, 9
an agency or department has applied for, been issued, denied, 10
returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for misuse.11
(d) Any record pertaining to a vessel registration issued under 12
RCW 88.02.330 that, alone or in combination with any other records, 13
may reveal the identity of an individual, or reveal that an 14
individual is or was, performing an undercover or covert law 15
enforcement activity. This exemption does not prevent the release of 16
the total number of vessel registrations that, under RCW 88.02.330, 17
an agency or department has applied for, been issued, denied, 18
returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for misuse.19
Upon request by the legislature, the department of licensing 20
shall provide a report to the legislature containing all of the 21
information in (c) of this subsection (7) and this subsection (7)(d) 22
that is subject to public disclosure; 23
(8) All information related to individual claim resolution 24
settlement agreements submitted to the board of industrial insurance 25
appeals under RCW 51.04.063, other than final orders from the board 26
of industrial insurance appeals. The board of industrial insurance 27
appeals shall provide to the department of labor and industries 28
copies of all final claim resolution settlement agreements;29
(9) Voluntarily submitted information contained in a database 30
that is part of or associated with 911 emergency communications 31
systems, or information contained or used in emergency notification 32
systems as provided under RCW 38.52.575 and 38.52.577;33
(10) Information relating to a future voter, as provided in RCW 34
29A.08.725; 35
(11) All information submitted by a person to the state, either 36
directly or through a state-licensed gambling establishment, or 37
Indian tribes, or tribal enterprises that own gambling operations or 38
facilities with class III gaming compacts, as part of the self-39
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exclusion program established in RCW 9.46.071 or 67.70.040 for people 1
with a gambling problem or gambling disorder; 2
(12) Names, addresses, or other personal information of 3
individuals who participated in the bump-fire stock buy-back program 4
under former RCW 43.43.920; ((and))5
(13) All personal and financial information concerning a player 6
that is received or maintained by the state lottery or any contracted 7
lottery vendor except the player's name and city or town of 8
residence. Additional information may be released only in accordance 9
with prior written permission from the player; and10
(14) Information collected from individuals who have requested or 11
previously requested changes to sex designation for vital records 12
under chapter 70.58A RCW. 13
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 46.20 14
RCW to read as follows: 15
(1) The department may not display, transmit, or otherwise make 16
available any record of a person's sex designation except with the 17
consent of the person, given for a specific purpose.18
(2) Credentials and digital records issued after a change to sex 19
designation must contain only the current sex designation and no 20
indicator that a change occurred. 21
Sec. 3. RCW 46.20.091 and 2021 c 158 s 4 are each amended to 22
read as follows: 23
(1) Application. In order to apply for a driver's license or 24
instruction permit the applicant must provide the applicant's:25
(a) Name of record, as established by documentation required 26
under RCW 46.20.035; 27
(b) Date of birth, as established by satisfactory evidence of 28
age; 29
(c) Sex; 30
(d) Washington residence address; 31
(e) Description; 32
(f) Driving licensing history, including: 33
(i) Whether the applicant has ever been licensed as a driver or 34
chauffeur and, if so, (A) when and by what state or country; (B) 35
whether the license has ever been suspended or revoked; and (C) the 36
date of and reason for the suspension or revocation; or37
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(ii) Whether the applicant's application to another state or 1
country for a driver's license has ever been refused and, if so, the 2
date of and reason for the refusal; and 3
(g) Any additional information required by the department.4
(2) Sworn statement. An application for an instruction permit or 5
for an original driver's license must be made upon a form provided by 6
the department. The form must include a section for the applicant to 7
indicate whether the applicant has received driver training and, if 8
so, where. The identifying documentation verifying the name of record 9
must be accompanied by the applicant's sworn statement that it is 10
valid. For an original driver's license, the information provided on 11
the form must be sworn to and signed by the applicant before a person 12
authorized to administer oaths. An applicant who makes a false 13
statement on an application for a driver's license or instruction 14
permit is guilty of false swearing, a gross misdemeanor, under RCW 15
9A.72.040. 16
(3) Driving records from other jurisdictions . If a person 17
previously licensed in another jurisdiction applies for a Washington 18
driver's license, the department shall request a copy of the 19
applicant's driver's record from the other jurisdiction. The driving 20
record from the other jurisdiction becomes a part of the driver's 21
record in this state. 22
(4) Driving records to other jurisdictions . If another 23
jurisdiction requests a copy of a person's Washington driver's 24
record, the department shall provide a copy of the record. The 25
department shall forward the record without charge if the other 26
jurisdiction extends the same privilege to the state of Washington. 27
Sex designation information is considered sensitive information and 28
must be excluded from any records transmitted to other jurisdictions 29
except with the consent of the person, given for a specific purpose. 30
Otherwise the department shall charge a reasonable fee for 31
transmittal of the record. 32
Sec. 4. RCW 70.58A.500 and 2019 c 148 s 18 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
(1) The state registrar may amend certification items on state 35
vital records. 36
(2) The state registrar may amend a live birth record to change 37
the name of a person born in state: 38
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(a) Upon receipt of a complete and signed amendment application 1
with applicable fees and a certified copy of an order of a court of 2
competent jurisdiction, including the name of the person as it 3
appears on the current live birth record and the new name to be 4
designated on the amended live birth record, under RCW 4.24.130; or5
(b) As authorized under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 3521, the federal witness 6
relocation and protection act. 7
(3) The state registrar shall seal the original live birth record 8
amended under subsection (2)(b) of this section. The sealed record is 9
not subject to public inspection and copying under chapter 42.56 RCW 10
except upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction.11
(4)(a) The state registrar may amend a vital record to change the 12
sex designation of the subject of the record. The state registrar 13
shall include a nonbinary option for sex designation on the record.14
(b) Supporting documentation related to sex designation changes 15
shall be sealed by the state registrar and constitute supporting 16
documentation for the purposes of RCW 42.56.365 and 70.58A.540.17
(5) The state registrar may amend vital records for purposes 18
other than those established in this section. 19
(6) The state registrar may deny an application to amend a vital 20
record when: 21
(a) The application is not completed or filed in accordance with 22
this chapter; 23
(b) The state registrar has cause to question the validity or 24
adequacy of the applicant's statements or documentary evidence; or25
(c) The deficiencies under (a) or (b) of this subsection are not 26
addressed to the satisfaction of the state registrar.27
(7) The state registrar shall provide notice of the denial of an 28
application to amend a vital record and state the reasons for the 29
denial. If the state registrar denies an amendment to a vital record 30
under the provisions of this section, a person may appeal the 31
decision under RCW 70.58A.550. 32
Sec. 5. RCW 70.58A.510 and 2019 c 148 s 19 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
(1) The state registrar shall develop and implement a 35
preservation management policy for the vital records system for 36
permanent preservation while in the custody of the state registrar.37
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(2) The state registrar shall transfer the custody of vital 1
records to the state archives in accordance with state archival 2
procedures when: 3
(a) One hundred years have elapsed after the date of live birth 4
or fetal death; 5
(b) Twenty-five years have elapsed after the date of death; and6
(c) Twenty-five years have elapsed after the date of marriage, 7
divorce, dissolution of marriage, dissolution of domestic 8
partnership, declaration of invalidity of marriage, declaration of 9
invalidity of domestic partnership, or legal separation.10
(3) The state archives may provide noncertified copies of 11
original vital records in the custody of the state archives, due to a 12
transfer under subsection (2) of this section, to the public.13
(4) The state archives may not: 14
(a) Charge the department a fee or pass along costs to transfer 15
the vital records to state archives or maintain the vital records in 16
the state archives, other than those charged through the central 17
services billing model for the cost of operating the state archives; 18
or 19
(b) Alter, amend, or delete certification items on the vital 20
records. 21
(5) Sealed records must remain sealed and in the custody of the 22
department. 23
(6) In consultation with the state archives, the state registrar 24
shall prescribe the format and method of delivery of vital records 25
transferred to the state archives. 26
(7) The department may retain records for the purpose of issuing 27
certifications under RCW 70.58A.530. 28
(8) The state archives shall not make publicly available or 29
disclose to any recipient other than the department any supporting 30
documentation related to sex designation changes that were 31
transferred pursuant to this section.32
Sec. 6. RCW 70.58A.520 and 2019 c 148 s 20 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
(1) The department may disclose vital records information for 35
persons named in any birth, death, or fetal death record only as 36
provided under this chapter. 37
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(2) Proposals for research and public health purposes must be 1
reviewed and approved as to scientific merit and adequacy of 2
confidentiality safeguards in accordance with this section.3
(3) The department may release birth and fetal death record data 4
that includes direct identifiers for research with approval of the 5
state institutional review board and receipt of a signed 6
confidentiality agreement with the department. 7
(4) The department may release birth and fetal death record data 8
that includes direct identifiers for nonresearch public health 9
purposes to a government agency upon receipt of a signed written 10
data-sharing agreement with the department. 11
(5) The department may release birth and fetal death record data 12
that contains only indirect identifiers to anyone upon receipt of a 13
signed written data-sharing agreement with the department.14
(6) The department may release death record data to anyone upon 15
approval of the department and receipt of a signed written data-16
sharing agreement with the department. 17
(7) A written data-sharing agreement required under subsections 18
(4) through (6) and (14) through (17) of this section must, at a 19
minimum: 20
(a) Include a description of the type of data needed and the 21
purpose for how the data will be used; 22
(b) Include the methods to be used to protect the confidentiality 23
and security of the data; 24
(c) State that ownership of the data provided under this section 25
remains with the department, and is not transferred to those 26
authorized to receive and use the data under the agreement; and27
(d) Include the applicable fees for use of the data.28
(8) In addition to the conditions required by subsection (7) of 29
this section, the written data-sharing agreement for birth and fetal 30
death record data for public health purposes under subsection (4) of 31
this section must: 32
(a) Prohibit redisclosure of any direct or indirect identifiers 33
without explicit permission from the department; and34
(b) Prohibit the recipient of the data from contacting or 35
attempting to contact the person whose information is included in the 36
data set or that person's family members without explicit permission 37
from the department. 38
(9) In addition to the conditions required by subsection (7) of 39
this section, the written data-sharing agreement for birth or fetal 40
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death record data with indirect identifiers under subsection (5) of 1
this section must prohibit the recipient of the data from attempting 2
to determine the identity of persons whose information is included in 3
the data set or use the data in any manner that identifies 4
individuals or their family members. 5
(10) The department and the state institutional review board 6
shall apply the most restrictive law governing data release to 7
proposals for research and public health purposes requesting data 8
sets with direct identifiers for linkage to other data sets.9
(11) The department may provide the fewest birth and fetal death 10
record data elements necessary for the purpose described in the 11
proposal for research or public health purposes. 12
(12) The department may deny a request for data for cause 13
including, but not limited to, when: 14
(a) Indirect identifiers are sufficient for the purpose described 15
in the proposal for research or public health purposes;16
(b) The research or public health proposal lacks scientific 17
merit; 18
(c) The department lacks resources or the request would result in 19
an unreasonable use of resources related to data preparation and 20
analysis; 21
(d) The requestor cannot meet the requirements in a data-sharing 22
agreement for protecting the confidentiality of the data; ((or))23
(e) The requestor is out of compliance with an existing data-24
sharing agreement; or25
(f) The department determines that there is a reasonable 26
possibility of the data being used to cause or enable harm or 27
disenfranchisement or that its use could reasonably result in 28
disparate impact on the data subject or that otherwise fulfilling the 29
request would not be in the public interest. 30
(13) The department must provide notice of the denial to the 31
requestor and include a statement of the reasons for the denial. If 32
the state registrar denies a request for data under the provisions of 33
this section, a person may appeal the decision under RCW 70.58A.550.34
(14) The department may release vital records to government 35
agencies in the conduct of official duties upon approval of the state 36
registrar and receipt of a signed written data-sharing agreement with 37
the department that prohibits redisclosure of any direct or indirect 38
identifiers without explicit permission from the department. Vital 39
records information released by the department under this subsection 40
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may be limited to only the information necessary to perform the 1
official duties of the agencies to which the information is released. 2
The department may deny requests according to subsection (12) of this 3
section. Government agencies may access records electronically and 4
use of records must be limited to the information needed for official 5
business. The agreement may include cost sharing for support of the 6
electronic system. 7
(15) The department shall make available to the department of 8
social and health services, division of child support, the social 9
security numbers of parents listed on birth records as required for 10
establishing child support upon receipt of a signed written data-11
sharing agreement with the department. 12
(16) The department may release vital records to the national 13
center for health statistics to be used solely for national 14
statistics upon approval of the state registrar and receipt of a 15
signed written data-sharing agreement with the department.16
(17) The department may release copies of vital records through 17
an interjurisdictional exchange agreement to offices of vital 18
statistics in states or territories of the United States, the 19
District of Columbia, New York City, or neighboring countries. The 20
records must relate to a resident of, a person born in, or a person 21
who died in the requesting state, territory, the District of 22
Columbia, New York City, or neighboring country. 23
(18) The department may release indices of death, marriage, and 24
divorce records annually to the state archives. 25
(19) Nothing in this chapter may be construed as giving authority 26
to the state or local registrar, department, government agencies, or 27
data recipients to sell or provide access to lists of individuals 28
when requested for commercial purposes. 29
(20) For the purposes of this section: 30
(a) "Data" means a data file containing multiple records.31
(b) "Direct identifier" means a single data element that 32
identifies an individual person. 33
(c) "Indirect identifier" means a single data element that on its 34
own does not identify an individual person, but when combined with 35
other indirect identifiers can be used to identify an individual 36
person. 37
(d) "Public health purpose" means a purpose that seeks to support 38
or evaluate public health activities which include, but are not 39
limited to, health surveillance; identifying population health 40
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trends; health assessments; implementing educational programs; 1
program evaluation; developing and implementing policies; determining 2
needs for access to services and administering services; creating 3
emergency response plans; promoting healthy lifestyles; and 4
preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious diseases, injury, 5
and chronic and inheritable conditions. Public health purpose does 6
not include research as defined in this section. 7
(e) "Research" means a systematic investigation, including 8
research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or 9
contribute to generalizable knowledge. Activities that meet this 10
definition constitute research for purposes of this policy, whether 11
or not they are conducted or supported under a program that is 12
considered research for other purposes. 13
Sec. 7. RCW 70.58A.530 and 2025 c 37 s 1 are each amended to 14
read as follows: 15
(1)(a) A certification issued in accordance with this section is 16
considered for all purposes the same as the original vital record and 17
is prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.18
(b) An informational copy is not considered the same as the 19
original vital record and does not serve as prima facie evidence of 20
the facts stated therein. 21
(2) The state and local registrar shall issue all certifications 22
registered in the vital records system from the state's central vital 23
records system database upon submission by a qualified applicant of 24
all required information and documentation required either by this 25
chapter or by rule, or both, and shall ensure that all certifications 26
include: 27
(a) The date of registration; and 28
(b) Security features that deter altering, counterfeiting, or 29
simulation without ready detection as required under this chapter.30
(3) A person requesting a certification of birth, death, fetal 31
death, or birth resulting in stillbirth must submit an application, 32
identity documentation, evidence of eligibility, and the applicable 33
fee established in RCW 70.58A.560 to the state or local registrar.34
(4) For a certification of birth, the state or local registrar 35
may release the certification only to: 36
(a) The subject of the record or the subject of the record's 37
spouse or domestic partner, child, parent, stepparent, stepchild, 38
sibling, grandparent, great grandparent, grandchild, great 39
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grandchild, legal guardian, legal representative, or authorized 1
representative; or 2
(b) A government agency or court, if the certification will be 3
used in the conduct of the agency's or court's official duties , 4
unless the department determines that there is a reasonable 5
possibility of the certification being used to cause or enable harm 6
or disenfranchisement or that its use could reasonably result in 7
disparate impact on the data subject or that otherwise fulfilling the 8
request would not be in the public interest. 9
(5) The state registrar may issue an heirloom certification of 10
birth to a qualified applicant consistent with subsection (4) of this 11
section. The heirloom certification of birth must contain the state 12
seal and be signed by the governor. 13
(6) The state registrar may issue a certification of a birth 14
record registered as delayed under RCW 70.58A.120 or 70.58A.130 to a 15
qualified applicant consistent with subsection (4) of this section. 16
The certification must: 17
(a) Be marked as delayed; and 18
(b) Include a description of the evidence or court order number 19
used to establish the delayed record. 20
(7) The state registrar may issue a certification of a birth 21
record for a person adopted under chapter 26.33 RCW and registered 22
under RCW 70.58A.400 to a qualified applicant consistent with 23
subsection (4) of this section. The certification:24
(a) Must not include reference to the adoption of the child; and25
(b) For children born outside of the state, must be issued 26
consistent with the certification standards of this section, unless 27
the court orders otherwise. 28
(8) When providing a birth certification to a qualified applicant 29
under this chapter, the state or local registrar shall include 30
information prepared by the department setting forth the advisability 31
of a security freeze under RCW 19.182.230 and the process for 32
acquiring a security freeze. 33
(9) For a certification of death, the state or local registrar 34
may release the certification only to: 35
(a) The decedent's spouse or domestic partner, child, parent, 36
stepparent, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, great grandparent, 37
grandchild, great grandchild, legal guardian immediately prior to 38
death, legal representative, authorized representative, or next of 39
kin as specified in RCW 11.28.120; 40
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(b) A funeral director, the funeral establishment licensed 1
pursuant to chapter 18.39 RCW, or the person having the right to 2
control the disposition of the human remains under RCW 68.50.160 3
named on the death record, within twelve months of the date of death; 4
or 5
(c) A government agency or court, if the certification will be 6
used in the conduct of the agency's or court's official duties.7
(10) The state or local registrar may issue a short form 8
certification of death that does not display information relating to 9
cause and manner of death to a qualified applicant. In addition to 10
the qualified applicants listed in subsection (9) of this section, a 11
qualified applicant for a short form certification of death includes:12
(a) A title insurer or title insurance agent handling a 13
transaction involving real property in which the decedent held some 14
right, title, or interest; or 15
(b) A person that demonstrates that the certified copy is 16
necessary for a determination related to the death or the protection 17
of a personal or property right related to the death.18
(11) The state or local registrar may issue reports of fetal 19
death either as a certification of a fetal death or as a 20
certification of birth resulting in a stillbirth, or both.21
(12) When issuing a certification of fetal death, the state or 22
local registrar may release the certification only to:23
(a) A parent, a parent's legal representative, an authorized 24
representative, a sibling, or a grandparent; 25
(b) The funeral director or funeral establishment licensed 26
pursuant to chapter 18.39 RCW and named on the fetal death record, 27
within twelve months of the date of fetal death; or28
(c) A government agency or court, if the certification will be 29
used in the conduct of the agency's or court's official duties.30
(13) When issuing a certification of birth resulting in 31
stillbirth, the state or local registrar may release the 32
certification only to the individual who gave birth listed on the 33
fetal death record. 34
(a) A certification of birth resulting in stillbirth must comply 35
with the format requirements prescribed by the state registrar and be 36
in a format similar to a certification of birth. 37
(b) The certification of birth resulting in stillbirth must 38
contain a title at the top of the certification that reads: "This 39
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certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth is not proof of a live 1
birth and is not an identity document." 2
(c) Nothing in this subsection (13): 3
(i) May be the basis for a civil cause of action seeking damages 4
or criminal charges against any person or entity for bodily injury, 5
personal injury, or wrongful death for a stillbirth;6
(ii) Shall alter a woman's rights to reproductive freedom or 7
equal protection under the law, or to alter or supersede any other 8
provision of law; and 9
(iii) Except for the right to request a certification of birth 10
resulting in stillbirth, may constitute the basis of any new right, 11
privilege, or entitlement, or abrogate any existing right, privilege, 12
or entitlement. 13
(14) The state or local registrar shall review the identity 14
documentation and evidence of eligibility to determine if the person 15
requesting the certification is a qualified applicant under this 16
section. The state or local registrar may verify the identity 17
documents and evidence of eligibility to determine the acceptability 18
and authenticity of identity documentation and evidence of 19
eligibility. 20
(15) The state or local registrar may not issue a certification 21
of birth or fetal death, including a certification of birth resulting 22
in stillbirth, that includes information from the confidential 23
section of record, except as provided in subsection (16) of this 24
section. 25
(16) The state registrar may release information contained in the 26
confidential section of the birth record only to the following 27
persons: 28
(a) The individual who is the subject of the birth record, upon 29
confirmation of documentation and evidence of identity of the 30
requestor in a manner approved by the state board of health and the 31
department. The state registrar must limit the confidential 32
information provided to the individual who is the subject of the 33
birth record's information, and may not include the parent's 34
confidential information; or 35
(b) A member of the public, upon order of a court of competent 36
jurisdiction. 37
(17) A person requesting a certification of marriage, dissolution 38
of marriage, or dissolution of domestic partnership currently held by 39
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the department must submit an application and the applicable fee 1
established in RCW 70.58A.560 to the state registrar.2
(18) The state registrar may mark deceased on a birth 3
certification when that birth record is matched to a death record 4
under RCW 70.58A.060. 5
(19) The state or local registrar must issue an informational 6
copy from the central vital records system to anyone. Informational 7
copies must contain only the information allowed by rule. 8
Informational copies of death records must not display information 9
related to cause and manner of death. 10
(20) A person requesting an informational copy must submit an 11
application and the applicable fee established in RCW 70.58A.560 to 12
the state or local registrar. 13
(21) If no record is identified as matching the information 14
provided in the application, the state or local registrar shall issue 15
a document indicating that a search of the vital records system was 16
made and no matching record was identified. 17
(22) All government agencies or courts to whom certifications or 18
informational copies are issued must pay the applicable fee for 19
certifications established in RCW 70.58A.560. 20
(23) The state or local registrar must comply with the 21
requirements of this chapter when issuing a certification or 22
informational copy of a vital life event. 23
(24) The department may issue, through electronic means and 24
processes determined by the department, verifications of information 25
contained on birth or death records filed with the department when a 26
verification is requested by a government agency, insurance company, 27
hospital, or any other organization in the conduct of its official 28
duties for fraud prevention and good governance purposes as 29
determined by the department. The department shall charge a fee for a 30
search under this subsection. 31
(25) For the purposes of this section: 32
(a) "Qualified applicant" means a person who is eligible to 33
receive a certification of a vital record based on the standards 34
established by this chapter and department rule. 35
(b) "Stillbirth" means the same as fetal death as defined in RCW 36
70.58A.010. 37
Sec. 8. RCW 70.58A.540 and 2019 c 148 s 22 are each amended to 38
read as follows: 39
p. 15 SB 6081
(1) All or part of any vital records, reports, supporting 1
documentation, vital statistics, data, or information contained 2
therein, including information related to sex designation changes 3
under this chapter, are not subject to public inspection and copying 4
under chapter 42.56 RCW. 5
(2) With the exception of certifications and informational copies 6
issued under RCW 70.58A.530, or unless otherwise authorized by this 7
chapter, ((no person may permit the inspection of, disclose data or 8
information contained in, or copy or issue a copy of all or part of 9
any)) all vital records, reports, supporting documentation, vital 10
statistics, data, ((or)) and information contained therein maintained 11
by the department are confidential and are not subject to state or 12
federal discovery, subpoenas, or other compulsory process.13
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. This act takes effect January 1, 2028.14
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