The State Registrar shall facilitate death registration by implementing an electronic reporting system. The system may be used to transfer information to individuals and institutions responsible for completing and filing certificates and related reports for deaths that occur in the State. The system shall be used to transfer information to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services not less often than once every 3-month period for the purpose of updating the roster of Medicaid recipients. The system shall be capable of storing and retrieving accurate and timely data and statistics for those persons and agencies responsible for vital records registration and administration. Upon establishment of such an electronic reporting system, but not later than January 1, 2011, the county clerk in the county in which a death occurred or the county clerk of the county where a decedent last resided, as indicated on the decedent's death certificate, shall be authorized to issue certifications of death records from such system, and the State Registrar shall cause the electronic reporting system to provide for such capability. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall have access to the system to enhance its enforcement of the Cemetery Oversight Act.
410 ILCS 535/18.5