[or-roots] Congress on fast track to restriction on records

[W David Samuelsen]

(permission is granted to circulate to other lists to encourage
responses by subscribers to write letters to their Congress
representatives.- David Samuelsen)

How many of you are aware of Congress is on very fast track to severely
restrict access to birth records??? Here's what it says for benefit of
those who doesn't subscribe to the ADN .  Chapter 2 in the bill,
"Improved Security for Birth Certificates" is where the problem is as
stated by the FGS and NGS .  I learned of this from another list....
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=dailynews
Oct 7, 2004 issue - THAT IS TODAY!

Those who subscribe to Ancestry_Daily_News probably will see the
item article.

Plese note that the bill's sponsor is Dennis Hastert who is
the SPEAKER of the House of Representatives. He has the power
to ram the bill to his heart's desire. - David Samuelsen)

HR 10's formal title of bill is
"9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act"
(included in this act is creation of cabinet level intelligence director
we see and hear so much about in the news)

---Begin Article---

Immediate Action Requested

Legislation in Congress Seeks to Restrict Access to Birth Records;
FGS Recommends Writing to Your Congressional Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill, House
Resolution 10 (H.R. 10), which seeks to restrict access to birth
certificates. This bill, which purpose is to respond to the threat of
terrorism, is on a fast track to passage and has been voted on by
several committees already. Your help is needed now.

David Rencher, Chairman of the Record Access and Preservation Committee,
a joint committee of the National Genealogical Society and Federation of
Genealogical Societies, has sent a letter to the bill's sponsor,
Congressman Dennis Hastert, recommending an amendment to the bill as
follows:

"However, nothing in this Chapter 2 shall be construed to require a
State to change its law with respect to public access to (A)
non-certified copies of birth certificates, or to (B) birth certificates
or birth records once a period of 100 years has elapsed from the date of
creation of the certificate or record."

A copy of the letter is available on the FGS site at
www.fgs.org/rpa/formalactions.htm.

To view this bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov.
Enter HR 10 in the search box for "Bill Number."

Action Is Needed Now
Because this bill is moving toward passage so quickly, it is urged that
the genealogical community take action immediately and let their
representatives know that they are in support of David Rencher's
amendment and the FGS position in this important matter. To find your
state representative's contact information, go to
http://www.house.gov/writerep/ .

How Should I Word My Letter?
While you should word the letter in any way that is comfortable for you,
it is recommended that you include the following as a portion of the letter:

"While I support the intention to increase security to protect the U.S.
from terrorists and those who wish to improperly take U.S. identities, I
am concerned that those researching their family's history continue to
have access to non-certified birth records.

Therefore, in order to support HR-10 I ask that you amend HR-10 Section
3063(d)(2) by adding the following wording to the existing paragraph:

'However, nothing in this Chapter 2 shall be construed to require a
State to change its law with respect to public access to (A)
non-certified copies of birth certificates or to (B) birth certificates
or birth records once a period of 100 years has elapsed from the date of
creation of the certificate or record.'

I believe that this additional language is imperative so that the states
do not react by restricting all certificates to comply with the law,
rather than dealing with certified as opposed to non-certified birth
certificates. This proposed amendatory language would remind them that
they can and should be treated differently."