An e-government measure is close to clearing the Legislature that would allow county registrar/recorders and California state officials to accept electronic verification of identity when constituents request a certified copy of a birth, death or marriage record.
Only California and Minnesota require a separate notarized affidavit to identify accompanying online requests, State Sen. Bob Hertzberg said before a floor vote on Friday.
"This measure by Assemblymember [Eric] Linder modernizes that to allow us to move into the modern era," Hertzberg said.
The California Department of Public Health would be tasked with implementing and administering the provisions of AB 2636, and it would have a 2021 sunset date. Counties would have to comply with the new law no later than 2019.
The Department of Public Health might opt to "establish a secure online verification process" and "manage a vendor contract for payment processing and reconciling, as well as modifications to the current customer request tracking system," according to a Senate analysis.
The e-verification system would be required to meet specifications set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).
The Assembly likely will vote on Senate amendments to AB 2636 before the bill moves to the governor's desk.
Also on Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill (AB 2296) that supporters say will clarify regulations to make it easier for California state government to use digital signature technology.
