3109.14 Fees for vital statistics records.

3109.14 Fees for vital statistics records.

(A) As used in this section, “birth record” and “certification of birth” have the meanings given in section 3705.01 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) The director of health, a person authorized by the director, a local commissioner of health, or a local registrar of vital statistics shall charge and collect a fee for each certified copy of a birth record, for each certification of birth, and for each copy of a death record. The fee shall be three dollars. The fee is in addition to the fee imposed by section 3705.24 or any other section of the Revised Code. A local commissioner of health or a local registrar of vital statistics may retain an amount of each additional fee collected, not to exceed three per cent of the amount of the additional fee, to be used for costs directly related to the collection of the fee and the forwarding of the fee to the treasurer of state. The additional fees collected, but not retained, under division (B)(1) of this section shall be forwarded to the treasurer of state not later than thirty days following the end of each quarter.

(2) Upon the filing for a divorce decree under section 3105.10 or a decree of dissolution under section 3105.65 of the Revised Code, a court of common pleas shall charge and collect a fee. The fee shall be eleven dollars. The fee is in addition to any other court costs or fees. The county clerk of courts may retain an amount of each additional fee collected, not to exceed three per cent of the amount of the additional fee, to be used for costs directly related to the collection of the fee and the forwarding of the fee to the treasurer of state. The additional fees collected, but not retained, under division (B)(2) of this section shall be forwarded to the treasurer of state not later than twenty days following the end of each month.

(C) The treasurer of state shall deposit the fees forwarded under this section in the state treasury to the credit of the children’s trust fund, which is hereby created. A person or government entity that fails to forward the fees in a timely manner, as determined by the treasurer of state, shall forward to the treasurer of state, in addition to the fees, a penalty equal to ten per cent of the fees.

The treasurer of state shall invest the moneys in the fund, and all earnings resulting from investment of the fund shall be credited to the fund, except that actual administrative costs incurred by the treasurer of state in administering the fund may be deducted from the earnings resulting from investments. The amount that may be deducted shall not exceed three per cent of the total amount of fees credited to the fund in each fiscal year, except that the children’s trust fund board may approve an amount for actual administrative costs exceeding three per cent but not exceeding four per cent of such amount. The balance of the investment earnings shall be credited to the fund. Moneys credited to the fund shall be used only for the purposes described in sections 3109.13 to 3109.18 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001; 06-30-2006