South Dakota Proposes Restriction to Vital Records Access

According to this Associated Press Article, on Jan 26, 2005, the Senate Health Committe was presented with a bill to prevent access to vital record information.

The bill is intented to prevent identity theft. One case where a Utah man acquired a birth certificate from South Dakota which was used in an identity theft case.

Only family members and a few others, such as a funeral directors, doctors and others acting on behalf of families, would be allowed to get the records.

However, SB41 would allow birth records to become fully public after 100 years and death, marriage, divorce and annulment records to be unrestricted after 50 years.

There is presently no information on the South Dakota government website or on South Dakota State Genealogy web page.