J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                      531

cates have been received by him during said month, the report shall
state that fact.]

[17] 16. Contends] of birth, death and [stillbirth] fetal death
certificates.

(a)   [Forms prepared by State] The certificate forms for regis-
tering births, deaths, and [stillbirths] fetal deaths shall be prepared
by the State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene and shall contain
the personal data, places, dates, and other circumstances and iden-
tifications prescribed by [said Board] the State Board of Health and
Mental Hygiene for proper registration and utilization of such
records.

(b)   [Writing and signing; completeness] All such records shall
be typed or written plainly in unfading ink and shall be signed by
the person required to make the record, and no certificate shall be
held to be complete or correct that does not supply all of the items
of information called for upon the certificate form so far as it is
possible to obtain the same.

17. Birth and Delayed Birth Registration

(a)  Birth registration

(1)   When a birth occurs in an institution, the person in charge
of the institution or his designated representative shall prepare the
certificate of birth and secure signature required on the certificate
and shall file it with the State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene
within seventy-two (72) hours after the birth. The physician in
attendance shall verify or provide the date of birth and medical in-
formation required by the certificate.

(2)   When a birth occurs outside an institution, the certificate of
birth shall be prepared and filed within seventy-two (72) hours after
the birth by one of the following in the indicated order of priority:

(i) The physician or midwife in attendance at or immediately
after the birth, or in the absence of such a person,

(ii) Any other person in attendance at or immediately after the
birth, or in the absence of such a person,

(in) The father, the mother, or, in the absence of the father and
the inability of the mother, the person in charge of the premises
where the birth occurred.

(3)   When a birth occurs on a common carrier and the child is
taken from the carrier in this State, the person in charge or the
owner of the common carrier shall file with the State Board of Health
and Mental Hygiene a certificate of such birth within seventy-two
(72) hours following the arrival of the carrier in Baltimore City or
in the respective counties.

(b)  Delayed Birth Registration
(1) Rules and regulations.

The State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene is authorized and
empowered to adopt rules and regulations governing the filing of
records of births in those cases where certificates of birth have not