N.Y. Public Health Law § 4121: Vital statistics; registrar; qualifications and appointment

§ 4121. Vital statistics; registrar; qualifications and appointment.

1. In each primary registration district there shall be a registrar of

vital statistics.

2. Qualifications of registrars of vital statistics hereafter

appointed may be prescribed by the public health council, provided that:

(a) a local health officer shall be eligible for appointment as

registrar of vital statistics; and,

(b) no licensed and registered funeral director, undertaker or

embalmer engaged or employed in the business or practice of funeral

directing, undertaking or embalming, and no other person engaged or

employed in the business of funeral directing, undertaking or embalming

shall be eligible for appointment as a registrar, deputy registrar or

sub-registrar of vital statistics.

3. (a) In towns and villages the registrar or registrars of vital

statistics shall be appointed by the town board and by the village board

of trustees respectively; a local town clerk shall be eligible for

appointment as registrar of his town and of any village wholly within

said town in which he has an office, and a village clerk shall be

eligible for appointment as a registrar of his village and of any town

in which he resides.

(b) In the cities, unless otherwise provided by charter, the registrar

or registrars of vital statistics shall be appointed by the mayor.

(c) In each primary registration district consisting of a state

hospital, charitable or penal institution, the registrar shall be the

director or person in charge of such institution, provided, however,

that he shall receive no additional remuneration for acting as such

registrar.

(d) In an area designated as a county or part-county registration

district, the county commissioner of health or public health director

shall be appointed by the board of supervisors as registrar of such

county or part-county registration district. If there be no county

commissioner of health or public health director, then the board of

supervisors, with the approval of the commissioner, shall designate the

registrar. When such appointment is made, the terms of office of

registrars theretofore appointed within such county or part-county

registration district shall thereupon terminate, and the county

commissioner of health or public health director or registrar so

designated shall be the registrar of the entire area embraced within

such county or part-county registration district.

4. When a district is divided into two or more primary registration

districts, the appointment of a registrar for each shall be made by the

same appointing authority which had jurisdiction over the original

district.

5. (a) When two or more primary registration districts are combined,

the registrar for such combined district shall be appointed by the board

or city council of those former primary registration districts having

had an aggregate of one hundred or more births, deaths or fetal deaths

in each of the two preceding calendar years, and which theretofore made

the appointment of registrars of the original districts, except that;

(b) in a county registration district, the county commissioner of

health or public health director, or if there be no county commissioner

of health or public health director, the designee of the board of

supervisors of such county shall be appointed as registrar for the area

of his jurisdiction as provided in paragraph (d) of subdivision three of

this section;

(c) where the combined primary registration districts have each

registered less than an aggregate of one hundred births, deaths or fetal

deaths in each of the two preceding calendar years the registrar of the

combined districts, or of the districts forming a part-county

registration district shall be appointed by the board of supervisors of

such county.