-----Original Message----- From: Connie Lovitt Bates [SMTP:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 8:10 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ILHENDER-L] Iowa Records Gail very kindly forwarded this to me so that we can all keep abreast of events regarding the closing of Iowa Records. Thanks, Gail! > The following is from Richard Harrison, the IAGenWeb State Coordinator.: > > The Closing of Iowa Birth Records???? > > The Iowa State Department of Health, Vital Records Division, would like > to see all birth records less than 95 years old closed to the public at > the county level and have drafted a bill to this effect to be taken up by > the legislature. According to Larry Coghlan of the Vital Records Dept., > "The proposal is to make birth certificates 95 years old and > older available for inspection and copying at the county level. The rest > of the birth certificates would require a direct and tangible interest to > obtain a copy. It is being proposed because of the identity theft (fraud) > that has been taking place throughout the United States." > > This proposal raises a number of questions: Is it really necessary to > close 95 years of records to address this problem? How will moving the > records from the county level to the state level make it any more (or > less) difficult for people interested in committing fraud? How will they > define "direct and tangible interest"? Will state employees have > the time and inclination to REALLY search the records for your ancestor, > or will they keep the money and say "Not Found!" when the record is not > exactly where it should be but just a few lines or pages away? Can they > take the time to search for possible misspellings or decipher illegible > handwriting? If ISDH gets this passed for birth records will all the > other records follow suit? Is this an ill-conceived plan to punish the > innocent (genealogists and others who need access to these records) > instead of the guilty (those who commit fraud)? > > We need to ask questions, now. If you cherish your right to have all your > county records available at your county courthouse, now is the time to > speak up. WRITE. CALL. EMAIL. your county officials, state > representative, and yes, even Governor Vilsack. If you don't speak up > now, it might be too late. > > -- > Richard Harrison/Encinitas, San Diego, California > IAGenWeb State Coord.: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iagenweb/index.htm > IAGEN-L List Owner: [email protected] > > ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** > > If you are NOT an Iowa resident it is just as important, if not more so, > that you also be heard. Remind the legislators of the money you spend > when you are in your county of interest to do research. Not only are you > providing revenue to the county for copy fees, etc. You are also > spending money in their motels, eating establishments, shops, and other > area tourist attractions. > > PLEASE contact one of these legislators and express the importance of > having the birth records remain open. Send an email to: > > [email protected] > and > [email protected] > > ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** > > CONTACT INFORMATION > > The Honorable Governor Vilsack > Mailing Address: > Office of the Governor > State Capitol > Des Moines, IA 50319 > Phone or Fax: > (515) 281-5211 phone (515) 281-6611 fax > Email the Governor > > http://www.state.ia.us/governor/comments/index.html > > The web page below has links to District Maps and to the > emails > of all the Iowa Senators and Representatives. Send an email > to > the ones representing your county of interest: > > http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Members/78GA-members.html. > > We will post the bill number and the names of committee > members as soon as that information is available. > > Please forward this message to: > > 1) as many people you know who reside in Iowa > 2) as many genealogists you know who have Iowa research > 3) as many genealogical societies as you know > 4) as many other organizations whose voices might make a difference > 5) everyone you know who is involved in genealogy and history research > ==== ILHENDER Mailing List ==== Search this list's archived messages! http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl