NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7782

Senate Bill S7782

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the department of health to enter into a contract for the digitalization and indexing of certain vital records

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 22, 2025	advanced to third reading
May 21, 2025	2nd report cal.
May 20, 2025	1st report cal.1268
May 06, 2025	referred to health

Votes

- May 20, 2025 - Health Committee Vote
  S7782
  
  10
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  3
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: May 20, 2025
      
      aye (10)
      
      Ashby
      
      Brouk
      
      Gonzalez
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Myrie
      
      Parker
      
      Rivera
      
      Ryan
      
      Webb
      
      aye wr (3)
      
      Gallivan
      
      Rhoads
      
      Stec
      
      excused (1)
      
      Martins

2025-S7782 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8314
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Add §4180, amd §4174, Pub Health L

2025-S7782 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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.

2025-S7782 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7782

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

To modernize and improve public access to New York State's genealogical
vital records by requiring the Department of Health to partner with a
qualified entity to digitize and maintain an online database of such
records at no cost to the state.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Adds a new section 4180 to the Public Health Law. Adds defi-
nitions of "vital records index" and "qualified entity." States that DOH
shall enter into a long-term contract with a qualified entity to create
and maintain an online genealogical research database of images of New

York state birth, marriage, dissolution of marriage, and death certif-
icates at no direct cost to the state, in exchange for allowing the
qualified entity to also provide such database to its subscribers and
customers.

Section 2: Amends Subdivision 3 of section 4174 of the Public Health
Law. States that the commissioner of DOH shall have the authority to
determine the means and methods by which genealogical records shall be
released.

Section 3: Sets effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State holds one of the richest repositories of historical
records in the country, including vital records such as birth, death,
marriage, and dissolution of marriage certificates. These records are
invaluable for genealogical research, historical documentation, family
history research, and personal legal matters. Yet for the thousands of
New Yorkers seeking access to these public documents, the process has
become unnecessarily burdensome and deeply frustrating.

The current system is not just outdated-it is fundamentally broken. As
of March 2025, the backlog of genealogical records requests had grown to
over 11,800, with many applicants waiting more than three years for a
response to their record request. Despite paying a $22 processing fee,
many individuals find themselves caught in a prolonged and opaque wait-
ing game. In contrast, other states routinely process similar requests
in a matter of weeks.

This legislation seeks to modernize the way these records are preserved
and accessed by requiring the Department of Health to partner with a
qualified entity to digitize and index these records, while allowing the
public to access them efficiently and without additional cost to the
state. By contracting with a qualified genealogical organization to
digitize and maintain an online database of New York's vital records,
the state can ensure that these records are accessible, searchable, and
preserved, without adding cost to taxpayers. This will dramatically
shorten wait times, improve access for researchers and families alike,
and uphold the state's responsibility to deliver timely, reliable public
services.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
tive date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
effective date.

2025-S7782 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7782
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 6, 2025
                                ___________
 
 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:
 
   Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
 4180 to read as follows:
   § 4180. VITAL RECORDS DIGITALIZATION. 1.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
 SECTION, THE TERM:
   (A)  "VITAL  RECORDS  INDEX"  OR  "INDEX"  SHALL MEAN A SYSTEMATICALLY
 ORGANIZED LISTING, COMPILATION, OR DATABASE DERIVED FROM ORIGINAL  VITAL
 RECORDS  MAINTAINED  BY  THE  STATE  LOCAL REGISTRARS, INCLUDING BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO VITAL RECORDS RELATING TO BIRTH, DEATH, MARRIAGE, AND DISSOL-
 UTION OF MARRIAGE, WHICH INCLUDES AT A MINIMUM, THE NAMES OF ANY  REGIS-
 TRANTS,  THE  DATE  AND  LOCATION  OF  THE EVENT'S REGISTRATION, AND ANY
 ASSIGNED IDENTIFYING REFERENCE NUMBERS.
   (B) "QUALIFIED ENTITY" SHALL MEAN A NATURAL  PERSON,  FIRM,  ORGANIZA-
 TION, PARTNERSHIP, ASSOCIATION, CORPORATION, OR ANY OTHER ENTITY EXPERI-
 ENCED IN MAINTAINING GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH DATABASES.
   2.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ENTER INTO A LONG-TERM CONTRACT WITH A QUALI-
 FIED ENTITY TO CREATE,  MAINTAIN,  AND  UPDATE  AN  ONLINE  GENEALOGICAL
 RESEARCH  DATABASE  OF IMAGES OF NEW YORK STATE BIRTH, MARRIAGE, DISSOL-
 UTION OF MARRIAGE, AND DEATH CERTIFICATES  AT  NO  DIRECT  COST  TO  THE
 STATE,  IN  EXCHANGE  FOR  ALLOWING THE QUALIFIED ENTITY TO ALSO PROVIDE
 SUCH DATABASE TO ITS SUBSCRIBERS AND  CUSTOMERS.  SUCH  ONLINE  DATABASE
 SHALL  BE  DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED TO HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF ALLOWING A
 VITAL RECORDS INDEX OF BIRTH, MARRIAGE,  DISSOLUTION  OF  MARRIAGE,  AND
 DEATH  CERTIFICATES  TO  BE  LINKED TO A DIGITAL IMAGE OF THE UNDERLYING
 ORIGINAL BIRTH, MARRIAGE, DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, OR DEATH RECORD  ONCE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11667-02-5

 S. 7782                             2
 
 ANY  SUCH  UNDERLYING RECORD HAS BECOME PUBLIC INFORMATION UNDER SECTION
 FORTY-ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR OF THIS TITLE, AND THE ONLINE  GENEALOGI-
 CAL  RESEARCH  DATABASE  SHALL  BE  DESIGNED  TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO
 CREATE  AND  ACTIVATE  SUCH  LINKS  TO  DIGITAL  IMAGES  OF THE ORIGINAL
 RECORDS. ANY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS APPEARING ON SUCH RECORDS SHALL  BE
 REDACTED  FROM  THE  DIGITAL  IMAGES  PROVIDED  TO THE PUBLIC, WHICH MAY
 INCLUDE BULK REDACTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY FIELDS  FROM  THE  IMAGES  VIA
 AUTOMATED  METHODS. SUCH INDEXES SHALL BE A PUBLIC RECORD AND SUBJECT TO
 THE STATE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW UNDER ARTICLE  SIX  OF  THE  PUBLIC
 OFFICERS LAW.
   §  2.  Subdivision  3  of  section  4174  of the public health law, as
 amended by section 2 of part W-2 of chapter 62 of the laws of  2003,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   3. (A) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY CONTRARY PROVISION OF LAW, THE COMMISSIONER
 SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE THE MEANS AND METHODS BY WHICH THE
 FOLLOWING GENEALOGICAL RECORDS SHALL BE RELEASED TO AN APPLICANT MEETING
 THE  QUALIFICATIONS  TO RECEIVE THE RELEVANT RECORD TYPE AS DESCRIBED IN
 THIS SECTION OR IN ARTICLE THREE OF THE DOMESTIC RELATIONS  LAW:  (A)  A
 RECORD  OF  BIRTH THAT HAS BEEN ON FILE FOR AT LEAST SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS;
 (B) A RECORD OF MARRIAGE, DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE,  OR  DEATH  THAT  HAS
 BEEN  ON  FILE  FOR  AT  LEAST  FIFTY YEARS; OR (C) ANY RECORD OF BIRTH,
 MARRIAGE, DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, OR DEATH FOR WHICH THE REQUESTER IS A
 LINEAL OR COLLATERAL DESCENDANT.
   (B) For any search of the files and records conducted  for  authorized
 genealogical  or  research  purposes,  the  commissioner  or  any person
 authorized by [him] THE COMMISSIONER  shall  be  entitled  to,  and  the
 applicant shall pay, a fee of twenty dollars for each hour or fractional
 part  of  an  hour of time of search, together with a fee of two dollars
 for each uncertified COPY OR ABSTRACT OF SUCH RECORD  REQUESTED  BY  THE
 APPLICANT OR FOR A CERTIFICATION THAT A SEARCH DISCLOSES NO RECORD.
   §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act  on  its
 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
 effective date.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.