SECTION 17. Birth records; state registrar; originals; certified copies

Effective January 1, 2000, the clerk of each town and of each city shall, on or before the tenth day of the second month following every month in which births occurred in the city or town, transmit to the state registrar, upon forms furnished by him, the original records of such births and any documentary evidence including voluntary acknowledgments signed by the parents and adjudications of paternity entered by the court. The clerk of each city and town shall retain a certified copy of said birth records. If no births occurred in the city or town during the month for which a report is required, a report of such fact shall be sent on forms provided by the state registrar. Prior to January 1, 2000, the city or town clerk in which the birth occurred shall forward to the state registrar a certified copy of each record of birth and original copies of all acknowledgments and adjudications of paternity filed with such birth records. The city or town clerk shall make an attested, certified copy of these documents for the files of the office of the city or town clerk.