The following was received today from Sue Kaufman, with the Texas State Genealogical Society:
We are writing to you as a member of the genealogical community of Texas to alert you to a bill being considered by the Texas Legislature. We should have sent this alert out to you sooner. We’ve been so consumed with developing a response and strategy that we’ve neglected to keep you informed. We promise to do a better job of sending you alerts in the future more quickly.
House Bill 3252 by Representative John Zerwas (Fort Bend County) would close Texas birth records for 125 years and Texas death records for 50 years. Under current Texas law, birth and death records now become public information 75 years after a birth and 25 years after a death. Proponents of the bill believe that closing birth and death records for 125 and 50 years will prevent identity theft and fraud.
TSGS is actively opposing this legislation. Last week, President Susan Kaufman, President-Elect John Wylie, Director Randy Whited, and Records Preservation and Access Chair Teri Flack testified before the House Public Health Committee strongly expressing our opinion that increasing these time limits will do nothing to prevent identity theft and that, particularly by closing death records for 50 years, family historians will be prevented from obtaining their family’s health history in a timely manner. We provided background information to enable the members to understand the impact of the bill. A copy of the bill, the written testimony we submitted to the committee, and our written response to questions and issues raised during the hearing may be found at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TexasStateGenealogic/b4c00fb320/9fa51d13fb/4d9172da33. If you are so inclined, you can watch the hearing at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TexasStateGenealogic/b4c00fb320/9fa51d13fb/c8950b8b2d.
We know it will take the effort of our entire community to persuade legislators that this bill is unnecessary. We are asking you to write Rep. Zerwas and express your opinion. His email address is john.zerwas@house.state.tx.us. It does not have to be a lengthy point-counterpoint communication. Feel free to use some of the arguments we included in our testimony; however, most legislators dismiss anything that sounds like a form letter. So, it would be counterproductive to simply forward this alert or a copy of our testimony. Rep. Zerwas has already listened to our official testimony. A simple, personally crafted message in your own words will be more effective.
We are also asking you to write to members of the House Public Health Committee, particularly if you live in the district of one of the members. Here’s a link to the committee so you can see who the members are and to find their email addresses: House Public Health Committee members. Be sure to let them know you are writing to them about HB 3252 because of their membership on that committee. Not sure if you live in a member’s district? You can go to Texas Legislature Online at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TexasStateGenealogic/b4c00fb320/9fa51d13fb/fb0467954e and plug in your address information. It will tell you who your representative and senator are.
Please don’t dawdle. The bill may be voted out of the Public Health Committee as early as Friday. So, the sooner you write the more impact you will have.
Please forward this message to anyone who might be willing to climb aboard this urgent effort. You don’t need to limit it just to your fellow genealogists. Send it to anyone who might be willing to speak up for open government.
Thank you for your support of this effort. We’ll keep you posted on any action taken by the Legislature.
Sue Kaufman
President
Texas State Genealogical Society
You don’t have to be a resident of a committee member’s district to write them.
Last year (in 2012), Virginia faced a similar situation and I am pleased to report the outcome far exceeded my wildest expectations and while I do not know how much credit I can personally take for the same, I did lobby vigorously for the bill.
Rather than restrictions on births and deaths being increased from the 50 years for births and 100 years for deaths, they were relaxed to 25 years for deaths, and who is eligible to have a restricted record was redefined to add grandchild to parent, sibling, spouse and child for death certificates and grandparent to the same list for birth certificates!
Additionally, the new law stipulates that the state Bureau of Vital Statistics is to solicit bids and sign a contract by 1 July 2013 for the digitizing and indexing (to include the closed records from my understanding) with the target date for the images and indexes beginning to appear on-line of 1 July 2014!
What is perhaps most amazing is that the same arguments repeatedly used in D.C. and across the country to advocate closure of records did not just FAIL TO SWAY enough votes to prevent passage of this bill, but may even have backfired by its “over-reach”. The bill was passed UNANIMOUSLY (40-0) in the state Senate and for all intents and purposes, no dissenting votes in the House of Delegates (99-1, with the one member to vote “no” having the distinction of having his license to practice law taken from him for assaulting, while the prosecuting attorney for the city he now represents, another man). Though Republicans control both houses of the assembly and the Governor, also Republican, had publically announced while the bill was under debate his intention to sign it, this was clearly legislation that had wide-spread bipartisan support in a state with a reputation for being slow to act in the manner this law does!
Though I am no longer well-enough connected to expect that my Governor, Bob McDonnell, if I were to ask him to do so, would urge Governor Perry to veto Texas House Bill 3252 if it were ultimately passed, much less work towards passage of a bill similar to what passed in Virginia, I do intend to speak to contacts who stand a better chance than I of getting Gov. McDonnell to speak to Gov. Perry.
Members of the Public Health Committee: The bill is pending in the committee at this date.
Rep. Kolkhorst, Lois W.
District 13
Email
Capitol Address:
Room 4N.8, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0600
(512) 463-5240 Fax
District Address:
P.O. Box 1867
Brenham, TX 77834
(979) 251-7888
(979) 251-7968 Fax
Rep. Naishtat, Elliott
District 49
Email
Capitol Address:
Room CAP GW.16, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0668
(512) 463-8022 Fax
District Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0668
(512) 463-8022 Fax
Rep. Coleman, Garnet F.
District 147
Email
Capitol Address:
Room CAP 4N.10, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0524
(512) 463-1260 Fax
District Address:
5445 Almeda, Suite 501
Houston, TX 77004
(713) 520-5355
(713) 520-1860 Fax
ep. Collier, Nicole
District 95
Email
Capitol Address:
Room EXT E1.324, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0716
(512) 463-1516 Fax
Rep. Cortez, Philip
District 117
Email
Capitol Address:
Room E2.812, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0269
(512) 463-1096 Fax
Rep. Davis, Sarah
District 134
Email
Capitol Address:
Room E2.310, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0389
(512) 463-1374 Fax
District Address:
3100 Richmond Avenue
Suite 316
Houston, TX 77098
(713)521-4474
(713)521-4443 fax
Rep. Guerra, Bobby
District 41
Email
Capitol Address:
Room E1.306, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0578
(512) 463-1482 Fax
District Address:
10213 North 10th St. Suite B
McAllen, Texas 78504
Phone numbers
956-292-0407 line 1
956-292-0313 line 2 (roll over #)
956-292-0418 FAX
Rep. King, Susan
District 71
Email
Capitol Address:
Room E1.304, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0718
(512) 463-0994 Fax
District Address:
P. O. Box 2376
Abilene, TX 79604
(325) 670-0384
Rep. Laubenberg, Jodie
District 89
Email
Capitol Address:
Room 1N.7, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0186
(512) 463-5896 Fax
District Address:
206 N. Murphy Road
Murphy, Texas 75094
(972) 424.6810
Rep. Sheffield, J. D.
District 59
Email
Capitol Address:
Room E2.320, Capitol Extension
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0628
(512) 463-3644 Fax
District Address:
P.O. Box 704
Gatesville, Texas 76528
Rep. Zedler, Bill
District 96
Email
Capitol Address:
Room GW.6, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0374
(512) 463-0364 Fax
District Address:
5840 West Interstate 20 Suite #110
Arlington, TX 76017
817-483-1885
817-478-1887 Fax
I have Texas ancestry and feel the dates are unreasonable. One reason is if there is an illness that needs researching, this would eliminate access for those living. There are certain family members that are needing answers to questions and these records are and should be available for family members. Thank you for your considerations.
These dates are unreasonable. There are medical issues and questions from descendants need answers to before they pass away. There are broken families that need answers and these records would heal hearts so they can move forward. These are family records and FAMILY HAS A RIGHT TO THEIR FAMILY INFORMATION!!!!!