As used in this chapter and sections 19a-40 to 19a-45, inclusive, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) “Registrar of vital statistics” or “registrar” means the registrar of births, marriages, deaths and fetal deaths or any public official charged with the care of returns relating to vital statistics;

(2) “Registration” means the process by which vital records are completed, filed and incorporated into the official records of the department;

(3) “Institution” means any public or private facility that provides inpatient medical, surgical or diagnostic care or treatment, or nursing, custodial or domiciliary care, or to which persons are committed by law;

(4) “Vital records” means a certificate of birth, death, fetal death or marriage;

(5) “Certified copy” means a copy of a birth, death, fetal death or marriage certificate that (A) includes all information on the certificate except such information that is nondisclosable by law, (B) is issued or transmitted by any registrar of vital statistics, (C) includes an attested signature and the raised seal of an authorized person, and (D) if submitted to the department, includes all information required by the commissioner;

(6) “Uncertified copy” means a copy of a birth, death, fetal death or marriage certificate that includes all information contained in a certified copy except an original attested signature and a raised seal of an authorized person;

(7) “Authenticate” or “authenticated” means to affix to a vital record in paper format the official seal, or to affix to a vital record in electronic format the user identification, password, or other means of electronic identification, as approved by the department, of the creator of the vital record, or the creator's designee, by which affixing the creator of such paper or electronic vital record, or the creator's designee, affirms the integrity of such vital record;

(8) “Attest” means to verify a vital record in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (5) of this section;

(9) “Correction” means to change or enter new information on a certificate of birth, marriage, death or fetal death, within one year of the date of the vital event recorded in such certificate, in order to accurately reflect the facts existing at the time of the recording of such vital event, where such changes or entries are to correct errors on such certificate due to inaccurate or incomplete information provided by the informant at the time the certificate was prepared, or to correct transcribing, typographical or clerical errors;

(10) “Amendment” means to (A) change or enter new information on a certificate of birth, marriage, death or fetal death, more than one year after the date of the vital event recorded in such certificate, in order to accurately reflect the facts existing at the time of the recording of the event, (B) create a replacement certificate of birth for matters pertaining to parentage and gender change, or (C) reflect a legal name change in accordance with section 19a-42 or make a modification to a cause of death;

(11) “Acknowledgment of paternity” means to legally acknowledge paternity of a child pursuant to section 46b-172;

(12) “Adjudication of paternity” means to legally establish paternity through an order of a court of competent jurisdiction;

(13) “Parentage” includes matters relating to adoption, gestational agreements, paternity and maternity;

(14) “Department” means the Department of Public Health;

(15) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner's designee;

(16) “Gestational agreement” means a written agreement for assisted reproduction in which a woman agrees to carry a child to birth for an intended parent or intended parents, which woman contributed no genetic material to the child and which agreement (A) names each party to the agreement and indicates each party's respective obligations under the agreement, (B) is signed by each party to the agreement and the spouse of each such party, if any, and (C) is witnessed by at least two disinterested adults and acknowledged in the manner prescribed by law;

(17) “Intended parent” means a party to a gestational agreement who agrees, under the gestational agreement, to be the parent of a child born to a woman by means of assisted reproduction, regardless of whether the party has a genetic relationship to the child;

(18) “Foundling” means (A) a child of unknown parentage, or (B) an infant voluntarily surrendered pursuant to the provisions of section 17a-58; and

(19) “Certified homeless youth” means a person who is at least fifteen years of age but less than eighteen years of age, is not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian, who is a homeless child or youth, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time, and who has been certified as homeless by (A) a school district homeless liaison, (B) the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the director's designee, or (C) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or the director's designee.

(1949 Rev., S. 560, 3813; 1953, S. 227d; P.A. 01-163, S. 2; P.A. 03-19, S. 16; P.A. 11-153, S. 2; 11-242, S. 4; P.A. 12-197, S. 53; P.A. 13-142, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 01-163 deleted former provisions and added new Subdivs. (1) to (15) re definitions applicable to chapter and Secs. 19a-40 to 19a-45; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subdiv. (3), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 11-153 added definitions of “gestational agreement” and “intended parent”; P.A. 11-242 added definition of “foundling”; P.A. 12-197 amended Subdiv. (10) by redefining “amendment”; P.A. 13-142 added Subdiv. (19) defining “certified homeless youth” and made technical changes.