Does anyone on this list know who we could contact who has authority over the decision not to do paid NJ State ancestry searches? It seems this decision impacts thousands of NJ residents and nonresidents looking for NJ ancestors! Thanks, Joan In a message dated 2/13/02 8:23:19 AM Eastern Standard Time, Montigre@aol.com writes: Hello all, > > Yes, New Jersey's decision does seem very short sighted, but may be a > little illegal. I just received my refunded monies for 5 requested s > earches. > I had included all of the newly required information on 4 out of the 5 > individuals (I do not know the names of my immigrant great-grandmother's > parents), but everything was returned to me--- including my SASEs. > I checked the NJ statutes and apparently people can still go to the > Bureau of Vital Statistics and perform their own searches in person but for > > reasons unknown, the searches will no longer be offered--there was no law > indicating searches would not be performed--seems like a departmental > decision only. > > NJ Statute Title 47 § 47:1A-2 (2001) reads:"...all records which are > required by law to be made, maintained or kept on file by any board, body, > agency, department, commission or official of the State... shall, for the > purposes of this act, be deemed to be public records. Every citizen of this > > State, during the regular business hours maintained by the custodian of any > > such records, shall have the right to inspect such records. Every citizen > of > this State shall also have the right, during such regular business hours > and > under the supervision of a representative of the custodian, to copy such > records by hand, and shall also have the right to purchase copies of such > records..." > > I'm not sure it's 100% legal for the Bureau of Vital Statistics to > allow > free access of these records to state residents (even non-relatives) and no > > search access for people not living in the state for the same public > records. > One of the board's legal eagles probably needs to look into this. > > Gail Peterson-Masengale > montigre@aol.com > > >