The House gave initial approval to a bill that would eliminate the current requirement that death certificates list the social security number of the deceased.

“The idea for this bill was brought to me by a constituent who read about this issue and expressed concern,” said sponsor Rep. Rob Consalvo (D-Hyde Park). “Although death certificates are not publicly available to everyone, removing social security numbers from them is a simple step the commonwealth can take to prevent any potential fraud.”

Reps. Sean Garballey (D-Arlington) and Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) co-sponsored a similar bill that was also given initial approval by the House. Neither Garballey nor Gordon responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they filed the bill and how they feel about its approval.