New York S 9200: Requires the department of health to enter into a contract for the digitalization and indexing of certain vital records

Bill Text

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S09200 Summary:

BILL NOS09200 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORSKOUFIS

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Add §4180, amd §4174, Pub Health L

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Requires the department of health to enter into a contract with an entity experienced in maintaining genealogical research databases for the digitalization and indexing of certain vital records.

Go to top S09200 Actions:

BILL NOS09200 

&nbsp

02/13/2026REFERRED TO HEALTH

Go to topS09200 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09200 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09200 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9200

 IN SENATE

 February 13, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring the
 department of health to enter into a contract for the digitalization
 and indexing of certain vital records

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
 2 4180 to read as follows:
 3 § 4180. Vital records digitalization. 1. For the purposes of this
 4 section, the term:
 5 (a) "vital records index" or "index" shall mean a systematically
 6 organized listing, compilation, or database derived from original vital
 7 records maintained by the state local registrars, including but not
 8 limited to vital records relating to birth, death, marriage, and dissol-
 9 ution of marriage, which includes at a minimum, the names of any regis-
 10 trants, the date and location of the event's registration, and any
 11 assigned identifying reference numbers.
 12 (b) "qualified entity" shall mean a natural person, firm, organiza-
 13 tion, partnership, association, corporation, or any other entity experi-
 14 enced in maintaining genealogical research databases.
 15 2. The department shall enter into a contract which shall be no longer
 16 than seven years in length with a qualified entity to create, maintain,
 17 and update an online genealogical research database of images of New
 18 York state birth, marriage, dissolution of marriage, and death certif-
 19 icates at no direct cost to the state, in exchange for allowing the
 20 qualified entity to also provide such database to its subscribers and
 21 customers. Such online database shall be designed and constructed to
 22 have the capability of allowing a vital records index of birth,
 23 marriage, dissolution of marriage, and death certificates to be linked
 24 to a digital image of the underlying original birth, marriage, dissol-
 25 ution of marriage, or death record once any such underlying record has
 26 become public information under section forty-one hundred seventy-four
 27 of this title, and the online genealogical research database shall be

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD11667-07-6

 S. 9200 2

 1 designed to allow the department to create and activate such links to
 2 digital images of the original records. Any social security numbers
 3 appearing on such records shall be redacted from the digital images
 4 provided to the public, which may include bulk redaction of social secu-
 5 rity fields from the images via automated methods. Such indexes shall be
 6 a public record and subject to the state freedom of information law
 7 under article six of the public officers law.
 8 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 4174 of the public health law, as
 9 amended by section 2 of part W-2 of chapter 62 of the laws of 2003, is
 10 amended to read as follows:
 11 3. (a) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, the commissioner
 12 shall have the authority to determine the means and methods by which the
 13 following genealogical records shall be released to an applicant meeting
 14 the qualifications to receive the relevant record type as described in
 15 this section or in article three of the domestic relations law: (1) a
 16 record of birth that has been on file for at least seventy-five years;
 17 (2) a record of marriage, dissolution of marriage, or death that has
 18 been on file for at lea