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From: "Pamela Dallas" <>
Subject: [CA-PCGS] FW: ALERT - SB1614 - AUGUST 17, 2002
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 09:22:25 -0700


Here is the latest message from Iris concerning SB1614. It is lengthy but
worth reading all the way through

-----Original Message-----
From: Iris Jones [mailto:]
Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2002 1:03 PM
Subject: ALERT - SB1614 - AUGUST 17, 2002

ALERT AND REPORT ON SB1614 - AUGUST 17, 2002

Once again, I apologize. But our efforts to stop SB1614 have been an
ongoing effort, requiring hours daily of negotiations and
communication with the author's people, the Governor's people, Dept of
Health's staff, other opposition leaders, legislators who agree with
us and those who still 'don't get it.' The news, the offers and
counter offers sometimes change daily. Amendments in writing [Always
get it in writing.] seem to never be available until the eleventh hour
[The night before the next hearing]. The hearings more often than not
have been canceled or changed at the last minute, not allowing time
for me to contact our members.

To make a long story short, the last set of amendments to the bill,
five pages, [which were not what we had been verbally offered], became
available late Wednesday night, for the hearing scheduled at 9:00 a.m.
Friday morning. I will attempt to be brief [this is not an ideal
version of my great American novel]. Under the present law it requires
birth and death information deemed confidential to be indexed, but
remain confidential. This will still be required, and may be made
available to 'any government agency, local registrar and county
recorder, when requested. . [they] may not sell or release the indices
or any portion of its contents to any other person except as necessary
for official government business and shall not post the indices or any
portion thereof on the Internet.'

'The State Registrar shall prepare and maintain separate
non-comprehensive indices of all California birth and
death records for public release.' Birth indices will include first,
middle, and last name, sex, date of birth, and place of birth. The
death indices will include first, middle and last name, sex, date of
birth, place of birth, place of death, date of death, and the father's
'last' name. You will have to sign a affidavit of intent under
penalty of perjury. Not only will the MOTHER'S GIVEN OR MAIDEN NAME
NOT BE INCLUDED ON THE BIRTH OR DEATH RECORDS, the FATHER'S NAME IS
NOT LISTED TO APPEAR ON THE BIRTH RECORDS. As I see it, their
'non-comprehensive' index virtually becomes useless.

Last requires an index that would allow, under a long list of
restrictions [including not to be posted on the Internet] for the
purpose of preventing fraud, may be purchased by financial
institutions and government agencies [this is aimed at the opposition
by the bankers and financial institutions] and will include the mother
and father's surnames.

These were the amendments in brief. The public indices will be
available for purchase some time in the future. The one good thing
that has occurred since the bill was first written, is that the
indices already sold will not be affected, the BILL IS NOT
RETROACTIVE. But all future indexes will NOT include the mother's or
father's name on the birth index and not the mother's name or social
security number on the death index.

Even with these amendments no opposition groups changed their minds.
But at the Hearing on the 16th three additional amendments were
offered [not yet in writing, I cannot quote them]. But when the
author's aide offered to allow 'controlled' Internet access to the
'non-comprehensive' indices, the Family History Library and
Federation of Genealogical Societies opted to withdraw their
opposition. They feel that it was wiser to save a portion of the
indexes rather than lose them all. The African American Genealogical
Society of Northern California also withdrew their opposition. I
believe that the California Bankers Associations did too.

I did not withdraw the California State Genealogical Alliance or the
Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley's opposition.
President Sheila Benedict who is still in Maryland, agreed that we
should continue to oppose. Considering our Mission Statement, it has
been our premise that as representatives of the genealogical &
historical community, it is our duty to represent the entire
membership including, individual,hobbyists, professionals, adoptees
and our member organizations. Even with the amendments that were
offered and voted on Friday, opposition to the bill remains.

As researchers, we all know how difficult it is to find mother's
maiden names. Once they are removed from these indexes they will be
lost to researchers, adoptees, children and grandchildren of adoptees,
and children and grandchildren of those with amended birth
certificates. Consider also, in light of the many single mothers,
married mothers who maintain only their maiden names, or couples who
never marry, these names, too, will not appear in any indexes for
research by future genealogists, family health historians or for the
general public.

With the withdrawal of the F.G.S. and F.H.L., legislators may not
realize that they do not represent the genealogical community of
California. Let us make sure the legislators do. PRESIDENTS OR BOARD
MEMBERS WRITE YOUR LETTER STATING YOUR ORGANIZATIONS FORMAL OPPOSITION
ON SB1614 AND THAT YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF OPPONENTS. Send
a copy to your district representative, the Committee Chair, the
Committee Council, the author and the Governor. I will include the
committee member list below. Regional Directors should do the same
for their regions. NUMBERS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT WILL MAKE THEM TAKE
NOTICE. Let them know that it is not just the umbrella organizations
like the CSGA or the Council that oppose this, it is the
GENEALOGISTS OF CALIFORNIA that oppose it. Be sure that the members of
the Assembly Appropriations know we are out here and opposed to
SB1614. INDIVIDUALS SHOULD WRITE THEIR LETTERS OF OPPOSITION to their
district representative. If you can call or make personal contact as a
constituent this will help make them aware of our opposition. If you
have friends in high places, contact them, ask for their help. It is
obvious that the Governor and the author are bent on seeing this bill
pass in spire of the fact that it will do nothing to prevent identity
theft. The only chance we have now is to make OUR VOICE HEARD AND OUR
NUMBERS COUNT. We need to convince the members of the committee and
those on the floor of the Assembly, who could if the bill passes the
Committee, hear it for a vote as early as Thursday, know how
IMPORTANT PRESERVING OUR PUBLIC RECORDS FOR HISTORICAL AND HEALTH
REASONS TO THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA. The Assembly Appropriations
Committee Hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 21,
2002, 9 a.m. in Room 4202.

----Iris Carter Jones, Legislative Network, 17 August 2002.

***ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION:


California State Assembly Appropriations Committee
State Capitol, Room 2114
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2081/Fax: (916) 319-2181

Darrell Steinberg, Chair D-9th District
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2009/Fax: (916) 319-2109
E-mail:

Patricia Bates, Vice-Chair R-73rd District
State Capitol, Room 6031
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2073/Fax: (916) 319-2173
E-mail:

Abel Maldonado R-33rd District
State Capitol, Room 4015
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2033/Fax: (916) 319-2133
E-mail:

Charlene Zettel R-75th District
State Capitol, Room 5164
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2075/Fax: (916) 319-2175
Email:

Roy Ashburn R- 32nd District
State Capitol, Room 4167
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2032/Fax: (916) 319-2132
E-mail:

Robert Pacheco R- 60th District
State Capitol, Room 4177
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2060/Fax: (916) 319-2160
E-mail:

Lynn Daucher R - 72nd District
State Capitol, Room 2111
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2072/Fax: (916) 319-2172
E-mail:

George Runner R - 36th District
State Capitol, Room 6027
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2036/Fax: (916) 319-2136
E-mail:

Carl Washington D - 52nd District
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2052/Fax: (916) 319-2152
E-mail:

Lou Correa D - 69th District
State Capitol, Room 6025,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2069/Fax: (916) 319-2169
E-mail:

Patricia Wiggins D - 7th District
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2007/Fax: (916) 319-2107
E-mail:

Lou Papan D - 19th District
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2019/Fax: (916) 319-2119
E-mail:

Fran Pavley R - 60th District
State Capitol, Room 5144
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2041/Fax: (916) 319-2141
E-mail:

Dion Aroner D - 14th District
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2014/Fax: (916) 319-2114
E-mail:

Elaine Alquist D - 22nd District
State Capitol, Suite 3120
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-319-2022/Fax: 916-319-2122
E-mail:

Rebecca Cohn D - 24th District
State Capitol, Room 2137
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2024/Fax: (916) 319-2124
E-mail:

Manny Diaz D - 23rd District
State Capitol, Room 2170
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0023
Phone: (916) 319-2023/Fax: (916) 319-2123
E-mail:

Joe Simitian D - 21st District
State Capitol, Room 5119
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2021/Fax: (916) 319-2121
E-mail:

Ellen M. Corbett D - 18th District
State Capitol, Room 4126
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2018/Fax: (916) 319-2118
E-mail:

Jackie Goldberg D -25th District
State Capitol, Room 5155
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2045/Fax: (916) 319-2145
E-mail:

Gloria Negrete McLeod D - 65h District
State Capitol, Room 5175
Sacramento, CA 94249
Phone: (916)319-2061/Fax: (916) 319-2161
E-mail:

Marco Antonio Firebaugh D - 50th District
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2050/Fax: (916) 319-2150
E-mail:

Rod Wright D - 48th District
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2048
E-mail:

Senator Jackie Speier
State Capitol, Room 2032
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-0503/Fax (916) 327-2186
E-mail:

Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol Bldg.
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841/Fax: (916)445-4633

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