Utah Code § 26B-8-102 — Utah Code / Title 26B / Chapter 26B-8 / § 26B-8-102
§ 26B-8-102. Department duties and authority.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section: (a) "Compact" means the Compact for Interstate Sharing of Putative Father Registry Information created in Section 81-13-106, effective on May 10, 2016. (b) "Putative father": (i) means the same as that term is as defined in Section 81-13-106; and (ii) includes an unmarried biological father. (c) "State registrar" means the state registrar of vital records appointed under Subsection (2)(e). (d) "Unmarried biological father" means the same as that term is defined in Section 81-13-101. (2) The department shall: (a) provide offices properly equipped for the preservation of vital records made or received under this part; (b) establish a statewide vital records system for the registration, collection, preservation, amendment, and certification of vital records and other similar documents required by this part and activities related to them, including the tabulation, analysis, and publication of vital statistics; (c) prescribe forms for certificates, certification, reports, and other documents and records necessary to establish and maintain a statewide system of vital records; (d) prepare an annual compilation, analysis, and publication of statistics derived from vital records; and (e) appoint a state registrar to direct the statewide system of vital records. (3) The department may: (a) divide the state from time to time into registration districts; and (b) appoint local registrars for registration districts who under the direction and supervision of the state registrar shall perform all duties required of them by this part and department rules. (4) The state registrar appointed under Subsection (2)(e) shall, with the input of Utah stakeholders and the Uniform Law Commission, study the following items for the state's implementation of the compact: (a) the feasibility of using systems developed by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, including the State and Territorial Exchange of Vital Events (STEVE) system and the Electronic Verification of Vital Events (EVVE) system, or similar systems, to exchange putative father registry information with states that are parties to the compact; (b) procedures necessary to share putative father information, located in the confidential registry maintained by the state registrar, upon request from the state registrar of another state that is a party to the compact; (c) procedures necessary for the state registrar to access putative father information located in a state that is a party to the compact, and share that information with persons who request a certificate from the state registrar; (d) procedures necessary to ensure that the name of the mother of the child who is the subject of a putative father's notice of commencement, filed pursuant to Section 81-13-213, is kept confidential when a state that is a party to the compact accesses this state's confidential registry through the state registrar; and (e) procedures necessary to ensure that a putative father's registration with a state that is a party to the compact is given the same effect as a putative father's notice of commencement filed pursuant to Section 81-13-213.