Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN

Bonorabie John B. Shook
CrUalnal District Attorney
San Antonio, Texas
Dear.SLr:

ther or not csrtitloetes
614, 66th Legielature
&d Civil Btatates)
urae es ordinary probeto pro-
hould be 0hargea for the tsar-
and oounty olerk,
es Zo~~~ular\qar_ae;aph of B. B. 614 involved, rsads

vided rurther, that any altizen
Texas niehlng to tile r&e re-
or death, not prrpvionslg
to the Probete Court
Wrth or tleatkaecurred,
or death written on
the adcpted form of birth and death oertiii-
Oates. The oertiiicate @hall be sabbatantiated
by tirsaffiderlt of t&e sedLor1 attendant pre-
aent et the time:of the birth.,or f8 oem of
death, the affidavit of the phyaiaian last in
attemlanoe upon the deoeamd, or the tiertaker
Honorable John R. Shook, Page 2

who buried the body. When the arridavlt of
the mdioal attendant or undertaker cannot
bb seamed, the crertifiaaate shall be support-
ed by the affidavit or 80~10per&m who 111sao-
quainted with the reota eurronnaln& the birth
or death, at the time the birth or death ooourred,
,wlth a second atridavit of eon8 person who 18 aoL
quainted with the feats eurrouaddagth8 birth or
death, and who 18 not related to the lndlvldual
by blood or marriage. The'Probate Court ehall
require such other lnfomstlon or iridenoe a8
may be deemed necessary to establish the oitieea-
ehlp of the individual illlng th8 certitloate,
and the truthfulnees.oi the statement8 made in
that record. The Clerk of the eald Court 8hall
forward the certificate to the State Bureau OS
Vital Statlstios with an order from the Court to
the State Registrar that the reoord be, or bo
not, aocepted. The State Registrar ie aathorlzed
to eooept the oertlrlaet8 when verified lath8
above mamer, and ahall 18s~ oertitled aopie8
or euch reoords as provided for in Seotion 81 or
thie kct. Such certiiied ooplea 8hall be prlw
faole evldenoe in all Court8 and plaaea or th8
iaots stated thereon. The State Bureau of Vital
Statietios ahall furnish the forms upon rhleh 8aoh
reaorde are riled, aad no other ior8 8hall be used
for that purpo8e.v
This Department ha8 rendered two opiaioar'on querrtlolu
dealing with the above provision8 for registrationof birth8 aml
death8 "not previously registered-. In Opinion lie.O-1201 w
aonstrued the amaafng of the phrase %ot previously reg18tersd"
and held la substan& that it aovered all aertifioate8 of birth8
and death8 -not previously registered” in aaoordanoe dth th8
provielonrrof Seotio&v 9 and 12 or the SanltarY &do, Al-t1018
4477, Vernon18 Annotated gtatutes, i.e. oertificate8 ef birth
not registered %lthln fit8 day8 after the date of 8a8h bfrthv
and oertiflo~te8of death not registered wprlor to any dlapoal-
tion of the body”, It uas our rurther holding that applications
for delayed registration OS births end death8 be wmberod 8nd 8n-
tered 05 the Docket of the Probate Couvt8 of th8 ~ountibrrla which
the births or deaths occurred: and, thatsueh proo8edinga should
be entered in the Probate'bflutates of eueh Court,
Honorable John R. Shook, Page 3

In Opinion No. O-1065 it wa8 held by this Department
that the oouaty fudge and the oouaty olerk are entitled to fee8
for r85dering the eenloes provided for under Section 2 of 8. B.
614, and that Article8 3925 and 3930, Revised Civil Statutes,
lQE5, are governing tc the effect that the county udge aad
couaty olerk shall eeoh receive the Se8 or fifty (i0.50) cents
in retura for the respective servio88 or entering the order and
certlfylng same to the Bureau of Vital StatiBtics.
The above quoted paragraph of Sectfon 2 of H. B. 614
whioh is an amendment to Seotion 18, Article 4477, Vernon's , con-
telne these provisions:
"+ * * “any altizen * * * * may sub-
mit to the Probate Court * + * rn
W+ 'Il * tin Probate Court shall ro-
qnire such Othdr information * ? * *"
"* * * * The Clerk of the Said Court
shall forward the certificate to the State
Bureau of Vital.gteti8tiOS with 8a order
from the Court to the State Registrar that
the record be, or be not, accepted. l * * **
It Is our opinion froma close enaly81e 0s the r0Fegoing
term8 of thv ambndmnt couferring jurisdiction on the Probate
Court, thet it ie the~maalfest Intent of the Legislature that the.
matter of delayed registrations of births and deaths be accorded
the statue and dignity of a Probate proceeding and that a record
of the proceeding8 be kept. This conatructlon Is supported by the
geaeral importance of the matter to the publio.i.&. the establdeih-
ment of Sects donoernlngbirth8 end deaths whioh should be e eub-
jeot or permanent reoord.
We are further of the oplnloa that the county judge and.
county ctirrkare entftled to tee8 for their services readered in
the respeotlve anmute or fifty (#O.50) cents. See Articles SW?5
and 3930, Revised Civil Statutes Of 1925. a80 see,Opinion IJO.
0-106s of thi8 Depsrtmsnt.
We are encloslag tor ,yoQr convenieacs and information
0pl.a105Ho. O-1201and No. O-1066 of this Departaeat.
Honorable John R. Shook, Page 4

Trusting that the above SuUy answers the Inquiry
oontai5ed in your letter, we are

Tours very truly

BY

D8:R8
COMMITTEE

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS