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From: Ancestral Manor <>
Subject: Urgent Notice About Massachusetts Genealogy Legislation
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 18:31:03 -0400


Vital Records Access Bills Before Massachusetts Legislature

The Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC) is calling on
genealogical researchers in Massachusetts to take action in
support of a bill before the Massachusetts legislature.

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BACKGROUND

Access to records is of extreme importance to genealogists.
MGC and the New England Historic Genealogical Society
(NEHGS) are supporting House Bill H-3448 sponsored by
Stephen LeDuc, "An Act Relative to Birth, Marriage, and
Death Records"

Three other bills -- H-3642, H-3643, and H-3644 sponsored by
Thomas O'Brien -- impose restricted access to the records, only allowing
public access to birth records before 1910 or marriage and death records
before 1950. These bills have little to no support in the genealogical
community, and MGC and NEHGS oppose them.

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RECOMMENDED ACTION

On Wednesday, October 19, at 10:00 in Room A1 at the State
House in Boston, the Committee on Public Health will be
holding a public hearing on these four bills.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/comm/j16.htm

A STRONG SHOWING FROM THE GENEALOGICAL COMMUNITY AT THE
HEARING WILL HELP THE BILL WE SUPPORT AS IT MAKES ITS WAY
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE. Please join us at this hearing.

If you cannot come to the hearing, please contact your
representative (see below for web links to find your
representative and his/her contact information). Simply say
or write that you urge him or her to:

1. support bill H-3448 by Stephen LeDuc, "An Act
Relative to Birth, Marriage, and Death Records,"
and

2. oppose the alternative set of bills H-3642, 3643,
and 3644 by Thomas O'Brien.

CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

For a list of representatives (and senators) by town go to:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm

To find your ward and precinct, fill in your address at:

http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

For contact information (email and telephone) for
representatives by name go to:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenuh.htm

To write to them by mail, use an address of the following
form:

Representative [name of rep]
State House
Boston, MA 02133

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The full text of the MGC sponsored bill that supports continued public
access to indices and vital records with "special certified" copies for
genealogists (not legal identification purposes) may be found online:
H-3448: An Act relative to Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht03/ht03448.htm

This bill provides for birth records up to 1925 and marriage
and death records through 1960 to be transferred to the
Massachusetts Archives within three years of January 1,
2007, with additional transfers occurring every five years
thereafter (currently the archives has records through
1915). All records and indexes would remain open to
public examination through the present time. It also provides for a
"special certified copy" of records for research information,
as opposed to legal purposes.


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RECORDS CLOSING THREAT

The full text of the H-3642 bill that imposes the restrictions on the
the electronic database and index access, as well as issuance of
certified copies (those restrictions are detailed in the H-3643 bill
ammendments to Chapter 46, Sections 2a and 13) may be found online:
H-3642: An Act TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM OF VITAL RECORDS.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht03/ht03642.htm

The full text of the H-3643 bill that closes the post-1910 birth and
post-1950 marriage and death records (and the indices) to public access
may be found online:
H-3643: An Act ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR VITAL RECORDS.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht03/ht03643.htm

The full text of the H-3644 bill that explains fees, funding and
regulation extensions to the prior two bills (and refers to a
non-existent "Massachusetts Genealogical Society" instead of the
Massachusetts Genealogical Council) can be found online:
H-3644: An Act TO FUND A SYSTEM OF ELECTRONIC VITAL RECORDS.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht03/ht03644.htm

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The full text of the existing law in Chapter 46 can be found online:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/gl-46-toc.htm

If you have any questions or need any further information,
please write to .

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Permission to forward to other genealogical and Massachusetts records
researchers is granted.

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