To protect the integrity of vital records and to prevent the fraudulent use of birth certificates of deceased persons, the department is authorized to match birth and death certificates and to post the facts of death to the appropriate birth certificate. To assist in the matching process, the department is authorized to enter into agreements with offices of vital records outside the state to exchange the birth or death records or reports of each state’s citizens. Copies of birth certificates issued of deceased persons shall be marked deceased.

The department may also maintain applications for viewing vital records and match the same against requests for certified copies or adopt such other security measures as may serve to identify requests to view vital records made for unlawful or fraudulent purposes.