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From: "Lewis M. Ruddick" <>
Subject: [CA-GOLDRUSH-L] [Fwd: LEGISLATIVE REPORT]
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 20:43:21 -0700


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Nan Wolf asked that I send this legislative update to the list.

Lewis M. Ruddick

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From: Nan & George Wolf <>
Subject: LEGISLATIVE REPORT
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Lewis:
This is the latest report from Iris Carter Jones, the
legislative analyst for the CA Genealogical Alliance. Would you
post this on NORCAL and GOLDRUSH mail lists? I am asking Sue
Crowley to forward it to SOCAL.
I believe the CA mail list groups have had a lot to do with
the letter writing campaign she mentions.
Note the mention of Tim Purdy. Good 'ol Tim is still at it.
Regards,
Nan Wolf
---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:Iris Jones, INTERNET:
TO:"G.A.S. List", INTERNET:
DATE:4/22/99 9:01 PM

RE:LEGISLATIVE REPORT

APRIL 1999 LEGISLATIVE

Senator Peace's SB129. Since my last report, I had the opportunity
to talk to the Senator's aide now in charge of that bill. Our letters
have made an impact. In fact, she asked that I let my readers know
that the Senator's attempts to make SB129 a spot bill and take it to a
Conference Committee would in no way stop it from making its way
through the legislative process, giving opponents ample
opportunity to voice their objections. She assured me that he would
meet with me and/or a representative group at any time during the
process.
She said that the Senator's goal, is to draft one piece of
legislation that would address the issues of
misuse of personal information, set out guide lines and parameters,
and outline consequences for non-conformity. Making government
agencies as well as the business community such as credit
companies and information marketers, responsible for their actions. He
realizes that to do a good job, this will take more than one session
and hopes that by making this a spot bill, making it a two-year
bill and taking it to a Conference Committee, it will give him time to
work out the details.
A Conference Committee will be made up three Democrats and three
Republicans (Hopefully all six will attend the meetings, unlike what
occurred during the Task Force meetings. Senator Peace and
Senator Ross Johnson were the only two members who attend every
meeting. One member attended none.)
I assured her that as a group we were as concerned as the Senator
over issues of misuse of personal information. I explained that our
greatest fears were that while attempting to stop the misuse of
information, records essential to research would be closed. I
discussed the types of records and information we use in our
research. I expressed our concerns over the tendency in recent years
of legislators to close records as a matter of protection, which
serves not as a deterrent to the criminals but as a closure of
essential information to the law-abiding researcher and other members
of the public.
I gave an example of what happened in 1994 when Senator Marks
passed a bill to 'keep confidential the addresses and phone numbers of
registered voters', to protect individuals from stalkers. The first
result was that some county recorders interpreted this as a full
closure of those records, and acted accordingly. The second problem
was that the bill made confidential that information as far back as
the county records went. Some questioned if that even included the
Great Registers. At the time, the Senate Council had assured me that
the Great Registers were not included in any way in this legislation.
What we missed and could have brought changes to was the time period
covered. But 1994 was the year we formed the Network. We were all just
getting our feet wet I explained that while we are not big business
and have no paid lobbyists, we are, for the most
part, members of the public fulfilling a desire to trace our family
history for one reason of another.
[The numbers of letters received left an impression, so they know we
are out here.]
She assured me that she would take my concerns to the Senator
personally and find out where he stands on the issues of vital, land
and court records, things I had made a point of mentioning. She
will get back to me on the specific items I mentioned. She will know
more by the end of the month. [I will be in Salt Lake until May 2,
1999, and I will contact her when I return.] So, we will have more
details and hopefully more insight into the situation. I feel much
better after this conversation. Prior to this, I have felt that
nothing we were saying was getting through. I do feel we can work with
the Senator at this time. Let us give them a chance. I think it is
certainly a difficult task. One of the things I have called for is
that they address each problem area individually, and not attempt to
make 'one size fit all.' I do now have assurances that this is how
they plan to proceed.
For those who did call, fax, write or Email the Senator or members
of the Committee, thank you for your time and support. They knew who I
was when I called. Once I found out who I needed to talk to, I
left a call which was returned right away.
SBb129 has now gone to the Suspense Calendar. I can only assume that
this is the first step towards making it a two year bill and taking it
before Conference Committee.
I also received a call from Senator Sher's office, and they referred
me to, again, a new aide. We discussed Senator Sher's SB48. As I
mentioned earlier the CA State First Amendment Coalition
reported that the Attorney General did not feel it was appropriate to
support the portion bill which would require his office to take action
against agencies who did not comply with the Public Information Act.
Senator Sher amended the bill accordingly.
We discuss my feeling that the amendments taken would virtually
take the 'teeth' out of the consequences which agencies would have to
pay for non-compliance. I was assured this would not be the case. I
have read the amendments and they appear to cover recourse to the
public for non-compliance. I will continue to monitor this bill as it
works its way through the system. I did tell him that, the 'Genealogy
Community' would support legislation which would enhance access to our
public records.
One additional piece of legislation, certainly worth our support
which was brought to my attention by both Jean Gillett of G.A.S. and
Sharon Bias, President of S.G.G.S., was Senator McPherson's
SB927. University of CA: California Newspaper Project is an effort to
identify and preserve the state's history as reflected in its
newspapers, and is mandated by the Center for Bibliographical Studies
at the UC, at Riverside. The bill calls for the appropriation
$1,200,000 from the General Fund to Regents of the UC for allocation,
as specified, for the purposes of the CA Newspaper Project of the
Center for Bibliographical Studies . . . for the 2000-01 to the
2003-04 fiscal year, inclusive. In other words $300,000 per fiscal
year. This bill has gone to Consent Calendar, therefore, it now must
be considered in the Budget process. It met with no opposition.
Reports I have received state that Henry Synder the Director of the
Center had said of the Project, 'First it will provide a union
listing of all newspapers published in CA, location of repositories,
etc., online.' Apparently they are working on this as we speak.
'Secondly, newspaper collections that have never been filmed, public
and private [with consent] will be microfilmed, with a complete set
sent to the CA State Library for interlibrary loan purposes.'
Additionally a copy of the microfilm of a newspaper will be given to
the library serving as the origin of the paper. Because state money
is involved support for this bill from the public is necessary. I was
not able to report on this before the April 14, 1999 Hearing of the
Senate Education Committee. Tim Purdy from the Modoc area sent out
a statement and has been communicating with Synder. He said the
request for appropriation from the legislature is to match funding
from the National Endowment for the Humanities. There has been a
letter campaign.
Purdy also mentions that in the mid 1980s he examined the morgue of
the former Lassen Advocate, and found volumes of the paper from
1881-1883 which were the only copies in existence. He, through
the resources of Lassen County, microfilmed them and a copy was sent
to the University of CA, Riverside. How many other collections might
be lost to research? I will get back to you on this and if it has
gone through the first Senate Committee, [The results of the Hearing
were not available at the time of this writing.] I would encourage
member to support such a project. More information to follow.
If you wish to follow Legislation you can check the State Web Site <
http://www.sen.ca.gov > to follow a bill or order copies from Bill
Room, State Capital, Sacramento, CA 95814, or call 916-445-
2323. To be added to my Network, send your name, name of your
organization, and Email address to me at <>. ----Iris
Carter Jones, April 15, 1999. Permission is granted to reprint
Legislative Reports. Please cite your source.

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Sender:
From: (Iris Jones)
To: Master List <>, "G.A.S. List" <>
Subject: LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 01:01:09 GMT

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