This report is designed to foster discussion among citizens, leaders and policy makers regarding an important public issue of concern to Iowans. Iowa State University seeks to provide accurate research-based information on relevant issues and neither endorses nor opposes proposals regarding the issues analyzed. The research contained herein was conducted with partial support from the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station (IAHEES), Iowa State University Extension (ISUE) and funding from the Iowa County Recorders Association. Funding from the Iowa County Recorders Association was solely used for providing research assistance with the understanding that the goal of the project was to develop objective information sources for making reasonable judgements regarding the costs of providing vital statistics services to Iowans. The project director expressly avoided receiving financial gain from the project so as to prevent conflicts of interest, bias in research, and/or the appearance thereof