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. This is to urge that, during this political season, your candidates for the legislature and state senate be queried as to their positions on the matter. 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. Bob Doerr Bob Doerr in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks Please see http://www.rollanet.org/~bdoerr/state.htm