OK HB2703

Death certificates become publicly available records after 50 years (reduced from 75 years); birth certificates remain public after 125 years

State Department of Health required to create a free online public index by July 1, 2017, containing name, gender, birth/death dates, and county information for all persons in its records (birth data delayed 20 years, death data delayed 5 years)

Expands list of individuals authorized to access vital records to include parents named on records, legal representatives of estates, attorneys administering estates, funeral directors (death certificates only), and Department of Corrections representatives

Electronic verification of birth and death certificates authorized for government agencies, benefit-paying parties (insurance, pension plans), licensed physicians, and fraud protection entities, with fees up to $4.00 per verification (waived for Oklahoma government agencies)

Private entities may request digital files of the public index from the Department, subject to fees not exceeding creation and transmission costs