Received from another list. This is the bill the article from Muscatine, Iowa was referring to. It's possible that the newspaper article is perhaps talking to Iowa Vital Records people changing the law or rules within current law. Below is the section that talks about access restrictions. The sections hi ghlighted will be what affects us the most. SEC. 3063. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION. (a) MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL USE- (1) IN GENERAL- Beginning 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, a Federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a birth certificate issued by a State to any person unless the State is meeting the requirements of this section. (2) STATE CERTIFICATIONS- The Secretary shall determine whether a State is meeting the requirements of this section based on certifications made by the State to the Secretary. Such certifications shall be made at such times and in such manner as the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, may prescribe by regulation. (b) MINIMUM DOCUMENT STANDARDS- To meet the requirements of this section, a State shall include, on each birth certificate issued to a person by the State, the use of safety paper, the seal of the issuing custodian of record, and such other features as the Secretary may determine necessary to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, and otherwise duplicating the birth certificate for fraudulent purposes. The Secretary may not require a single design to which birth certificates issued by all States must conform. (c) MINIMUM ISSUANCE STANDARDS- (1) IN GENERAL- To meet the requirements of this section, a State shall require and verify the following information from the requestor before issuing an authenticated copy of a birth certificate: (A) The name on the birth certificate. (B) The date and location of the birth. (C) The mother's maiden name. (D) Substantial proof of the requestor's identity. (2) ISSUANCE TO PERSONS NOT NAMED ON BIRTH CERTIFICATE- To meet the requirements of this section, in the case of a request by a person who is not named on the birth certificate, a State must require the presentation of legal authorization to request the birth certificate before issuance. (3) ISSUANCE TO FAMILY MEMBERS- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the States, shall establish minimum standards for issuance of a birth certificate to specific family members, their authorized representatives, and others who demonstrate that the certificate is needed for the protection of the requestor's personal or property rights. (4) WAIVERS- A State may waive the requirements set forth in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of subsection (c)(1) in exceptional circumstances, such as the incapacitation of the registrant. (5) APPLICATIONS BY ELECTRONIC MEANS- To meet the requirements of this section, for applications by electronic means, through the mail or by phone or fax, a State shall employ third party verification, or equivalent verification, of the identity of the requestor. (6) VERIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS- To meet the requirements of this section, a State shall verify the documents used to provide proof of identity of the requestor. (d) OTHER REQUIREMENTS- To meet the requirements of this section, a State shall adopt, at a minimum, the following practices in the issuance and administration of birth certificates: (1) Establish and implement minimum building security standards for State and local vital record offices. (2) Restrict public access to birth certificates and information gathered in the issuance process to ensure that access is restricted to entities with which the State has a binding privacy protection agreement. (3) Subject all persons with access to vital records to appropriate security clearance requirements. (4) Establish fraudulent document recognition training programs for appropriate employees engaged in the issuance process. (5) Establish and implement internal operating system standards for paper and for electronic systems. (6) Establish a central database that can provide interoperative data exchange with other States and with Federal agencies, subject to privacy restriction s and confirmation of the authority and identity of the requestor. (7) Ensure that birth and death records are matched in a comprehensive and timely manner, and that all electronic birth records and paper birth certificates of decedents are marked `deceased'. (8) Cooperate with the Secretary in the implementation of electronic verification of vital events under section 3065.