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Subject: [OHCOLUMB] Federal Legislative Actions
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 21:40:40 EDT

The following was received from the California Alliance of Genealogical
Societies. Perhaps you would like to contact your local representatives and
Senators.

Elizabeth Stookesberry
Los Alamitos, CA

FEDERAL LEGISLATION - A CALL TO ACTION

At the federal level there are two bills on privacy and the use of
Social Security Numbers working their way through the system. They are
call the Social Security Misuse Prevention Act. Granted, the
misuse of Social Security Numbers has gone on much too long, but as
the bills are worded it could spell the end of the Social Security
Death Indexes. Even if they were to exempt the present Death
Indexes, no further indexes could be developed.

The Utah Genealogical Society has worked to get the authors to amend
the bill to protect the continued availability of the death indexes,
but so far there have been no amendments. It is time for the genealogy
community to let Washington know how we feel. We want people's privacy
protected but we do not want to see this very important historical
research tool lost forever. It is important to thousands of
genealogists and family health historians.

We ask that make the following amendments in S228 and HR637:

1. Under Sec. 3 (a)(1)(a) DEFINITIONS, add the following definition:
"SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER - The term 'social security number' refers to
the social security number of a living individual."

2. Under Sec. 4 (a)(1)(e)(2) LIST OF PAPER AND OTHER NONELECTRONIC
RECORDS, delete "(D) death certificates."

You can contact the authors:

S228
Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3841/fax (202) 228-3954
<feinstein.senate.gov/email.html>

Senator Patrick J. Leahy
433 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-4242/<>

Senator Judd Gregg
393 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3324/<>

HR637
Representative John E. Sweeney
416 Cannon Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202)225-5614/Fax (202) 225-6234

To be added to the Network, send your name, name of your organization,
and e-mail address, stating you wish to be added to the Legislative
Network, to <>.---22 April 2003, CSGA
Legislative Network, Iris Carter Jones. [Permission is granted to
reprint Legislative reports. Please cite your source.]

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