Public Meeting Notice  RVRS Regulatory Advisory Committee Meeting- March

March 3, 2026: Regulatory Advisory Committee Meeting, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Note: The March 3rd RVRS Regulatory Advisory Committee meeting was held remotely as a video conference consistent with St. 2021, c. 20, s. 20, which provides for certain modifications to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

Agenda

1. Routine Items
   1. Welcome from Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
   2. Introductions
   3. Review Open Meeting Law
   4. Review Conflict of Interest Law
2. Committee Logistics
   1. General Logistics
   2. Membership
3. Informational Presentation
4. Overview of the process of promulgating regulations at the Department of Public Health
5. Regulations Discussion
   1. Overview of Regulations
   2. Discuss Review Process
   3. Cadence for 2026 meetings
6. Adjournment

Proceedings

A regular meeting of the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS) Regulatory Advisory Committee was held virtually on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 150 Mt. Vernon Street, 1^st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125.

Regulatory Advisory Committee Members present were: Dr. Jennifer Raymond - Registrar of the RVRS, Amy Akell - Essex Town Clerk, Sergio Cornelio - Everett City Clerk, Joseph Vizard – Waltham City Clerk, Alexis Fedorjaczenko - Ashfield Town Clerk, Katherine Benson – Historian, and Lindsay Fulton - Genealogist.

Also in attendance were DPH staff from several divisions. From the RVRS: Dean DiMartino, Deputy Registrar and Joseph Walsh, Office Coordinator. From the Office of Health Data, Strategy, and Innovation: Dr. Sai Cherala, Assistant Commissioner and Director, Rumi Pavlova-Plotnik, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, and Katherine Elkins, Manager of Strategy, Policy, and Communications. From the Commissioner’s Office: Rebecca White, Deputy Chief of Staff, James Ballin, Deputy General Counsel, and Amy Kaplan, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs.

Registrar Raymond called the meeting to order at 9:10 am.

Routine Items

Registrar Raymond welcomed the newly appointed members of the RVRS Regulatory Advisory Committee. Registrar Raymond then invited Sai Cherala and Rumi Pavlova-Plotnik to speak.

Dr. Cherala provided welcoming remarks and described the role of the Office of Health Data, Strategy, and Innovation (OHDSI) at DPH. She noted that RVRS operates within OHDSI and emphasized their responsibility for larger public health surveillance systems, including RVRS.

Ms. Pavlova-Plotnik provided an overview of DPH’s organizational structure and explained that RVRS manages the statewide vital records system, including birth, death, and marriage records. She emphasized that vital records serve as a foundational component of public health infrastructure and data reporting.

Members then introduced themselves, including their titles, backgrounds, and experience.

Mr. Ballin reviewed key provisions of the Open Meeting Law. He explained that a quorum of the seven-member committee consists of four members and that any substantive discussion among a quorum outside of a properly posted meeting is prohibited, per the Open Meeting Law. He specifically emphasized that a quorum of committee members should not engage in email or other correspondence regarding the Regulatory Advisory Committee work outside of a regularly convened meeting. Mr. Ballin provided information about the Open Meeting Law Guide from the Office of the Attorney General and the requirement for members to sign an acknowledgement of receipt of the Open Meeting Law materials.

Ms. White reviewed the Conflict of Interest Law, requirements for Regulatory Advisory Committee members, and how to contact the State Ethics Commission.

Committee Logistics

Registrar Raymond provided an overview of the committee’s purpose, scope of responsibilities, authority, and limitations. She also reviewed the membership composition and terms, as well as the responsibilities of the committee chair. Lastly, she covered meetings and voting procedures.

Informational Presentation

Ms. Kaplan presented information on the process at DPH to promulgate regulations.  She illustrated where the Regulatory Advisory Committee sits in the promulgation process. She explained that regulations serve to implement and clarify statutory requirements and described the three primary phases of promulgation: drafting and internal review, public notice and comment, and post-comment review and final approval. 

Regulations Discussion

Registrar Raymond gave background on 105 CMR 305, the current regulation for Confidential Birth Information. She discussed RVRS's goal of introducing a more comprehensive regulation that covers the breadth of topics at RVRS. She then provided an example of the topics that the regulation would cover, noting that topics were subject to change. Registrar Raymond also spoke to the factors that RVRS considers when approaching regulations.

Next, Registrar Raymond provided an outline of the regulation review process for committee members. Draft sections of the proposed regulation will be distributed via email. Committee members can share their written comments with the Chair prior to the next meeting. The committee will then convene to review and discuss feedback before proceeding with subsequent sections.

Registrar Raymond stated the upcoming meeting schedule.

Registrar Raymond asked if there were any questions. There were none. 

Adjournment (Vote)

Registrar Raymond asked if there was a motion to adjourn.

Sergio Cornelio made the motion which was seconded by Alexis Fedorjaczenko. All members present voted to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00am.

(The order of agenda items may be subject to change)

• Oath of Office for new members
• Routine Items
• Committee Logistics
• Informational Presentation
• Regulations Discussion
• Adjournment

All meetings are subject to open meeting law.