----- Original Message ----- From: "John & Jeanie Stout" <stoutj@WILKES.NET> To: <PANORTHU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 5:53 AM Subject: [PANORTHU-L] Cost of Birth Certificates > State to raise service fees > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ > By Robert B. Swift > The Daily Item > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ > HARRISBURG - The cost of purchasing a copy of your birth certificate from the state will double from $4 to $8 if Gov. Ed Rendell's budget plan is passed intact. > Same for a copy of a death certificate. That fee will go from $3 to $6.50 under the proposal. > > This is the first proposed fee increase for obtaining "vital statistics" information from the state Health Department since 1980. Officials estimate it would generate an estimated $3.7 million in new state revenues > > Rendell is proposing a half-dozen state fee and license increases as a way of generating a total of $29 million in new revenue to help close the state budget deficit. > > Most of these increases will affect specific categories of individuals who do business with or are licensed by the state. > > The vital statistics fee is the one people are most likely to encounter. The most common reason for getting a copy of a birth certificate is to have documentation for traveling out of the country. > > Other proposed increases are: > > > a.. Owners' license for renewing or getting a duplicate copy of eating and drinking license from state Agriculture Department, no license schedule available. > > a.. Insurance agents licenses, no license schedule available. > > a.. Fee for valuation of insurance policies, no fee schedule available. > > a.. Approval of building plan fees. Varies with cost of examination. > > a.. Boiler and elevator inspection fees for buildings. No fee schedule available. > > a.. Securities agent filing fees, no fee schedule available. > Administration officials said they targeted fees and licenses that hadn't been increased for a number of years. But they point out that the fee increases will only make a small dent in erasing the deficit. > > "It doesn't contribute a lot (of revenue) compared to the magnitude of the problem," said Rendell budget secretary Michael Masch. > > > > ==== PANORTHU Mailing List ==== > Please visit and make suggestions to enhance the Northumberland County, PA GenWeb site located at http://www.rootsweb.com/~panorthu/ >

I used the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health Vital Records site yesterday for the first time and ultimately ordered a death cert for my grandfather (cost $3). My father died in California. His certificate will cost $13. Massachusetts certificates are $11 by mail, but they also provide an Heirloom version printed in blue and gold on parchment and hand signed for $30. Thanks for the warning. I will get all the $3 certs. that I can before the price changes, but it does not look as if the proposed price is out of line. One thing that did bother me was the perception that certificates for genealogical purposes are given a 2nd class treatment. The following is cut and paste from the Pennsylvania web site: We regret this service is not available for genealogy requests or when requesting a record of a birth that occurred in another country and was subsequently registered in Pennsylvania. That particular service was the online order which added $7 to the cost. I had no problem in mailing in the form. I will admit to having checked Other rather than Genealogical for reason on the form. I can just imagine the requests being sorted by reason in New Castle, PA where the requests are sent. If so, I wanted mine in the small Other basket rather than the large overflowing genealogical basket. I am sure that I am wrong!?!? If there is a price increase, perhaps the "reason" question will come off of the request form. Neither Massachusetts or California required a reason: Mass wanted to know the relationship, Calif. did not ask anything other than my name and the name of the person for whom I wanted a record. Tim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bev Morris" <bmom@rickadee.net> To: <PABUTLER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:57 PM Subject: [PABUTLER-L] Fw: [PANORTHU-L] Cost of Birth Certificates > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John & Jeanie Stout" <stoutj@WILKES.NET> > To: <PANORTHU-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 5:53 AM > Subject: [PANORTHU-L] Cost of Birth Certificates > > > > State to raise service fees > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------ > > By Robert B. Swift > > The Daily Item > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------ > > HARRISBURG - The cost of purchasing a copy of your birth certificate from > the state will double from $4 to $8 if Gov. Ed Rendell's budget plan is > passed intact. > > Same for a copy of a death certificate. That fee will go from $3 to $6.50 > under the proposal. > > > > This is the first proposed fee increase for obtaining "vital statistics" > information from the state Health Department since 1980. Officials estimate > it would generate an estimated $3.7 million in new state revenues > > > > Rendell is proposing a half-dozen state fee and license increases as a way > of generating a total of $29 million in new revenue to help close the state > budget deficit. > > > > Most of these increases will affect specific categories of individuals who > do business with or are licensed by the state. > > > > The vital statistics fee is the one people are most likely to encounter. > The most common reason for getting a copy of a birth certificate is to have > documentation for traveling out of the country. > > > > Other proposed increases are: > > > > > > a.. Owners' license for renewing or getting a duplicate copy of eating and > drinking license from state Agriculture Department, no license schedule > available. > > > > a.. Insurance agents licenses, no license schedule available. > > > > a.. Fee for valuation of insurance policies, no fee schedule available. > > > > a.. Approval of building plan fees. Varies with cost of examination. > > > > a.. Boiler and elevator inspection fees for buildings. No fee schedule > available. > > > > a.. Securities agent filing fees, no fee schedule available. > > Administration officials said they targeted fees and licenses that hadn't > been increased for a number of years. But they point out that the fee > increases will only make a small dent in erasing the deficit. > > > > "It doesn't contribute a lot (of revenue) compared to the magnitude of the > problem," said Rendell budget secretary Michael Masch. > > > > > > > > ==== PANORTHU Mailing List ==== > > Please visit and make suggestions to enhance the Northumberland County, PA > GenWeb site located at http://www.rootsweb.com/~panorthu/ > > > > ______________________________