House of Representatives Unanimously Passes Public Health Committee Bill Which Includes Rep. Lanoue’s Short Form Death Certificate Legislation

H.B. No. 7157, An Act Concerning Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes Awaits Further Action in the Senate

HARTFORD- During Saturday evening’s House Session, State Representative Brian Lanoue (R-45), gave an impassioned speech in favor of his legislation that he authored that creates a short form death certificate which is included in H.B. No. 7157. Moments later, the bill passed unanimously and was transmitted to the Senate where it awaits further action.

The bill, which introduces several revisions to Connecticut’s Public Health Statutes, includes provisions for a short form death certificate that omits the cause and manner of death. This legislation, drafted by Rep. Lanoue and initially presented in H.B. No. 5196, An Act Concerning Death Certificates, was incorporated into the committee bill following compelling testimony during the Public Health Committee hearing on March 10th. Natasha Mozden, a resident of Griswold, testified in favor of the bill alongside Rep. Lanoue at the hearing, sharing her experience following the death of her son, Kaine Sherman, in 2024. She spoke with members of the Public Health Committee about the privacy intrusions her family faced during the probate process, noting that the cause and manner of death listed on a death certificate exposes sensitive information to anyone who needs to view it after a person’s passing.

“There aren’t enough words to express my appreciation to get this bill through the House of Representatives,” said Natasha Mozden of Griswold. “I want to thank State Representative Lanoue, and all the members of the Public Health Committee that included this provision into the bill. This means a lot to us, and we thank everyone who worked towards keeping Kaine’s memory alive.”

“Natasha’s compelling and tragic story on her son, Kaine’s, passing and having to experience the trauma repeatedly by having to produce the long form death certificate during the probate process will hopefully never happen to anyone else with the passage of this legislation and its creation short form alternative,” said Rep. Lanoue. “I want to commend Natasha Mozden for her courage throughout this process and stepping forward to prevent others from having to experience the very painful experience she went through. I also want to thank the Public Health Committee leadership and the entire House of Representatives for voting for this vital legislative proposal in a very compassionate, bipartisan way. “

In addition to Rep. Lanoue, the bill was co-sponsored by three other Republican lawmakers: State Representatives Irene Haines (East Haddam), Chris Stewart (Putnam), and William Pizzuto (Waterbury).

Only three days remain in the 2025 Connecticut Legislative Session that adjourns at midnight on Wednesday, June 4th.

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 Watch a brief video with Rep. Lanoue’s remarks at: https://youtu.be/WCht0DSNeAY

State Representative Brian Lanoue proudly represents the towns of Griswold, Ledyard, Lisbon, Preston, and Voluntown.