Chap. 83.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sections 2, 4 and 19 of an act
to provide for the immediate registration of al] births and deaths
throughout the State of Virginia, by means of certificates of births and
deaths, and burial or removal permits; to require prompt returns to
the bureau of vital statistics at the capitol of the State, as required to
be established by the State board of health: to insure the thorough or-
ganization and efficiency of the registration of vital statistics throughout
the State; to provide certain pena'ties; to repeal all acts and parts of
acts in conflict herewith, approved March 12, 1912. (S. B. 153.)

Approved March 13, 1914.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, ‘That
the sections two, four and nineteen of an act entitled an act to pro-
vide for the immediate registration of all births and deaths through-
out the State of Virginia, by means of certificates of births and
deaths, and burial or removal permits; to require prompt returns
to the bureau of vital statistics at the capitol of the State, as re-
quired to be established by the State board of health; to insure the
thorough organization and efficiency of the registration of vital
statistics throughout the State; to provide certain penalties; to
repeal all acts and parts of acts in conflict herewith, approved March
twelfth, nineteen hundred and twelve, be, and the same are hereby,
amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Sec. 2. That the State board of health shall have general super-
vision over the bureau of vital statistics, which is hereby author-
ized to be established by said board, and which shall be under the
immediate direction of the State registrar of vital statistics, whom
the State board of health shall appoint. Salary of the registrar
of vital statistics shall be fixed by the State board of health from
the day of his entering upon the discharge of the duties of his office.
The State beard of health shall provide suitable apartments for
the bureau of vital statistics at Richmond, which shall be properly
equipped with fireproof vaults and filing cases, for the permanent
and safe preservation of all records made and returned under this
act.

Sec. 4. That in cities and towns the principal executive officer
of the local board of health shall be the local registrar of vital
statistics, and that in magisterial districts justices of the peace
shall be local registrars of vital statistics for such portions of the
districts as the State registrar shall designate, provided however,
that if any justice of the peace refuses to act as local registrar, or
where there is no acting justice of the peace, that, in such event,
the State registrar shall appoint a suitable and proper person to be
the local registrar for such district, or portion of such district as
said registrar may designate. Any local registrar who fails or
neglects to discharge efficiently the duties of his office, as laid down
in this act, or who fails to make prompt and complete returns of
births and deaths, as required thereby, shall be therewith removed
from his office of registrar by the State registrar, and his successor
appointed in addition to any further penalties that may be imposed
under other sections of this act for failure or neglect to perform
his duty.

Sec. 19. That each local registrar shall be paid the sum of
twenty-five cents for each birth certificate and each death certificate
properly made out and registered with him, correctly recorded and
promptly returned by him to the State registrar, as required by
this act, and in case no births or deaths were registered during any
month, the local registrar shall be entitled to be paid the sum of
twenty-five cents for a report to that effect, but only if properly
made, in accordance with this act.

All amounts payable to a registrar under the provisions of this
section shall be paid by the treasurer of the city, town or county
in which the registration district is located, upon certification by the
State registrar. And the State registrar shall annually certify to the
treasurers of the several cities, towns and counties the number of
births and deaths properly registered, with the names of the local
registrars and the amounts due each at the rate fixed herein; pro-
vided, that the council of any city may by ordinance, in lieu of fees,
provide for the compensation of the local registrar for such city by
salary; provided further, that the State registrar shall make no cer-
tification of fees due until a receipt from the county clerk for the
record books of the year shall have been received by him from the
local registrar, and, provided further, that the fees or salaries now
paid the principal executive officer of the local board of health of any
city or town. who shall become the local registrar of such city or
town under the provisions of this act, may be, in lieu of all com-
pensation or fees as herein provided; provided, however, payment
may be made by fees as in the counties.