THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

42

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

Requesting the department of health to establish a pilot project to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic transmission of death certificates.

 

 

Whereas, electronic transmission of documents is quickly becoming the standard for transmission of information; and

Whereas, transmission of electronic documents reduces both the time required and the cost of transmittal; and

Whereas, both the State of Hawaii and the Federal Government encourage citizens to file electronically documents of importance such as tax returns; and

Whereas, the State Department of Health has proposed and supported the streamlining of the death certificate registration process through the use of electronic documents as laid out in Senate Bill 1356, during the 2003 Legislative Session; and

WHEREAS, the implementation of electronic filing of death certificates will require the cooperation of both physicians and funeral directors in order to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of such a process; and

Whereas, collaborative meetings between the Department of Health and the Hawaii Funeral Directors Association has resulted in agreement over the use of electronic documents to facilitate the death certificate registration process; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that the Department of Health (DOH) is requested to establish a pilot project to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic transmission of death certificates and to pursue federal grants to fund the pilot project; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH is requested to work in cooperation with the professional trade associations representing physicians and funeral directors in implementing the pilot project and in pursuing federal grants; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DOH submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2004 on its pilot project and include in the report, an evaluation and recommendation as to whether the pilot project should be made permanent; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

Report Title:

Electronic Transmission of Death Certificates