(1) Existing law requires that each death be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found. Existing law establishes the required contents of the death certificate, including, but not limited to, the decedent’s name, sex, race, and other relevant identifying and medical information. Existing law requires that the medical and health section data and the time of death be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or, in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility, by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or by a licensed physician assistant meeting certain qualifications. Existing law also requires the individuals responsible for completing a death certificate to specify certain information on the certificate, including the time they last saw the deceased person alive. Existing law requires a physician and surgeon, physician assistant, or other specified individuals to immediately notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death occurring under specified circumstances, including where suicide is suspected. A violation of that requirement is a crime.

(2) Existing law requires a funeral director, or a person acting in lieu of a funeral director if there is no funeral director, to prepare a certificate of fetal death and register it with the local registrar. Existing law requires the attending physician, if any, to state on the certificate of fetal death specific information, including the time and causes of fetal death. Existing law requires the physician, within 15 hours after the fetal death, to deposit the fetal death certificate at the place of death or deliver it to the attending funeral director or the office of the physician, as specified.

Commencing July 1, 2026, this bill would add a nurse practitioner in those provisions for purposes of preparing and depositing or delivering a certificate of fetal death.

(3) Existing law provides a procedure to, and authorizes a certifying physician or coroner to, amend a record of death, fetal death, or live birth with supplemental information by filing a declaration under penalty of perjury.