A. The state registrar shall:

(1) administer and enforce the Vital Statistics Act and regulations issued pursuant to it and issue instructions for the efficient administration of the system of vital records and health statistics;

(2) direct and supervise the system of vital records and health statistics and be custodian of its records;

(3) direct, supervise and control the activities of all public employees, other than hospital employees, when they are engaged in activities pertaining to the operation of the system of vital records and health statistics;

(4) prescribe, with the approval of the department and after consultation with medical records professionals in the state, furnish and distribute such forms as are required by the Vital Statistics Act;

(5) prepare and publish reports of vital records and health statistics of this state and such other reports as may be required by the department;

(6) conduct training programs to promote uniformity of policy and procedures throughout the state; and

(7) provide to local health agencies copies of or data derived from certificates and reports required under the Vital Statistics Act as determined necessary for local health planning and program activities. The copies or data shall remain the property of the bureau, and the uses that may be made of them shall be prescribed by the state registrar.

B. The state registrar may establish or designate offices in the state to aid in the efficient administration of the system of vital records and health statistics and may delegate such functions and duties vested in the state registrar to employees of the bureau and to employees of any office of the state or political subdivision designated to aid in administering the Vital Statistics Act.

History: 1953 Comp., § 12-4-27, enacted by Laws 1961, ch. 44, § 5; 1973, ch. 264, § 4; 1977, ch. 253, § 28; 1981, ch. 309, § 3; 2009, ch. 215, § 13.

The 2009 amendment, effective January 1, 2010, in Subsection A changed "system of vital statistics" to "system of vital records and health statistics".