I forwarded the message received about vital records to my state senator. This is the reply I received. Did anyone else get a response? Who was the author (Joe Miller?). I either deleted it or it's on another computer's hard drive. Carol McDonald Manchester --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Sen. John Loudon" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:08:53 -0500 Subject: Re: In-District: Vital records Dear Carol: Thank you for this information. Being a history buff myself, I know how important it is to have these records available. The timetable for introduced legislation begins December 2003 for bills will be to be considered in the 2004 Session. I will pass your letter on to Senator Loudon and either he or Scott Crosby, our Legislative Assistant, will contact you. At 05:30 PM 06/12/2003 -0600, you wrote: > Access to Records > >In 1910, the State of Missouri assumed the responsibility for keeping >vital records. The records were kept confidential, as was proper, at least >for birth records. However, some of the records are now 90 years old; it >is time to place microfilms of all the birth records, with indexes, that >are older than 72 years, and all of the death and other records, into the >State Archives for full public access. > >Efforts have been made in the legislature, but the Department of Health >obfuscates. The Department proposes to place on line images of the birth >records 90 years or older and death records 50 years or older. That will >be fine, but it is not enough. > >Owing to the Federal regulation that census data remain closed for 72 >years, that interval has become a de facto standard in the USA. A 72-year >interval suffices for privacy. > >All that is needed is to add to Sect. 193.245 of RSMO 1994 new >sub-paragraphs as follows: > >(4) The department shall enable the State Archives to duplicate, for >public access, microfilms of the following: > >a) all birth records that are 72 years old or older, and indexes to such >records, and > >b) all other vital records and indexes. > >(5) The department shall enable, annually, the State Archives to duplicate >microfilms of the following: > >a) all birth records that have become 72 years old or older, and indexes >to such records, and > >b) all other vital records and indexes. > >Carol Davis McDonald >Manchester I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. --Abigail Adams (writing to John) And since he didn't take her advice, we must pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Visit our state AAUW web sites - http://www.aauwmo.org and www.aauw.org