If you research in Ohio the following will be of interest. If you don't research in Ohio, the following may still be of interest because it is another case in a series of recent moves by various states across the country to close access to vital records or make access difficult or expensive or both. If researchers, genealogists and historians don't take this as a serious threat we may soon find we can't access vital records anywhere in the county. PD It is with a very heavy heart that I must report that we lost on Ohio House Bill 95. Yesterday afternoon, the Senate approved the bill (it was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday). With HB95, we lose uncertified copies of vital records and certified copies have an additional $5 surcharge (making the cost of a certified copy a minimum of $15). If you want to read the bill as passed by the Senate, here's the link (it is a huge page): http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText125/125_HB_95_PS_N.html The pertinent sections are 3705.23 and 3705.24. Because this language matches the House version of the bill, I have little hope that it would change in the committee working to reconcile the House and Senate versions. I know that we are still "fortunate" (and I use that term loosely) in Ohio in that the records are not restricted in other ways. However, based upon conversations I have had in recent days with officials with the Ohio Department of Health, the next step will be to restrict access -- either with a time restriction and/or an access restriction (only qualified parties can get a copy of the record). We tried our best. We gave them good, reasonable, logical explanations as to why eliminating uncertified copies will do nothing to prevent identity theft. We gave them possible alternatives so that uncertified copies would no longer be a financial hardship on the agencies involved. I would be willing to bet that genealogists were the only group that contacted the senate that was willing to accept a fee increase! But our arguments and concessions were apparently not enough. I don't know what to say, except get all of the birth and death certificates you need from Ohio before July 1 when this law will go into effect. Amy Crow ======================== Amy Johnson Crow, CG PO Box 1394 Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-6394 voice (614) 755-2769 fax (614) 866-6162 amy@amyjohnsoncrow.com ==== APG Mailing List ==== The Association of Professional Genealogists http://www.apgen.org/publications/apg-l/index.html