I do not appreciate the "BEING DEEMED NON-COMMUNICATIVE". I have sent numerous emails believing my site was up to date. You can put me on probation, that is fine. I work 50 hours a week to survive and this project is something I am able to do in my free time. I have worked hard on the Payne County site and believe it looks better than it ever has. So tonight when I get home I will go through it ONCE AGAIN and apply whatever the problems are. But please.. DO NOT say I have been NON-COMMUNICATIVE. Kimberly Vieyra Payne County Coordinator --- okgenweb <[email protected]> wrote: > > Folks - You should feel very proud of yourself!! > > I have been getting fantastic messages from visitors > who appreciate all > your hard work and have forwarded those messages to > the respective > coordinators. > > Charmaine, SharonC, and I want to say THANK YOU to > each of you for your > cooperation with the evaluation and understanding > the spirit it was intended. > > The evaluations were a helping tool to let you know > of a requirement you > may have overlooked. > > The first evaluation notice was posted March 11, > 2002. Charmaine continued > to post a number of reminders to the CC list > throughout the past sixty days. > > Our guidelines are very clear where evaluations are > concerned. If you wish > to continue to maintain an OKGenWeb site you are > responsible for meeting > the requirements. > > The following counties are hereby deemed > "non-communicative" and notified > they are on probation. The process of emailing the > coordinator per the > guidelines begins today and continues through June > 17, 2002. If the > coordinator is still "non-communicative" or unable > to meet the guidelines > the county will be delinked from OKGenWeb and placed > for adoption. > > County, Coordinators Name, Email of record > > Canadian Debbie Blevins [email protected] > Cleveland Gene Phillips [email protected] > Grady Gene Phillips [email protected] > Grant Edward Black [email protected] > Haskell Rose Carter [email protected] > Johnston Linda Bonham [email protected] - > bounced again and resub'd > Love Ray Weathers [email protected] > McClain Gene Phillips [email protected] > Osage Nation Alli Sheldon [email protected] > & [email protected] > Payne Kimberly Vieyra [email protected] > Pottawatomie Susan Morris [email protected] > > Again, each of the listed emails was checked against > the list of > subscribers to the CC mailing list to be sure each > one is subscribed to the > mailing list. > > Thanks, > > Marti > SharonC > ===== Visit my webpage at: http://hometown.aol.com/mkvieyra/kimberly.htm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com

Don't know why my name is still on the list as I have responded to the roll call so I will do it again. HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE DENNIS MAYBE IT WILL TAKE THIS TIME.

Don't forget.... chat tonight, 9pm cst at http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/helplinks/chat/spinchat.htm -------------------- Ron Henson Choctaw Co. Coordinator Oklahoma GenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~okchocta Yahoo IM okchocta

Clayton Library has a website at http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/clayton/cla_c.html that lists all their holdings. I found it helped to know exactly what I was looking for before going each time, and try to work on only one family line at a time. Actually, I figured this out after my first trip to Salt Lake, where I was so overwhelmed with the amount of information that I didn't feel I used my time well. They have another page at http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/clayton/ with instructions for using the library. There is another treasure is in the other building at Clayton, the family histories. And be sure to check the verticle files. This is where people have donated their research, so there are files full of family group sheets, diaries, bible transcriptions, etc. for families. Before moving to the big, modern building that currently houses these records, the old "home" next door was the entire library. You had to reserve a microfilm reader when you first got there, then only use it for 1 hour at a time, since others were waiting patiently for their turn. Now there's more room and almost no wait, and the microfilm collection is outstanding. Sorry to keep this subject going, but Summer is coming, and I know others will be traveling to Houston to do research at the premier genealogical research center of the South! Cindy Harvey Texas City, TX Wichita & Caddo Tribes http://www.rootsweb.com/~itwichit/ ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:58 PM Subject: Re: [OK-Coordinators] off-topic post > Personally I was very disappointed in the Clayton, spent a day there, my > husband dropped me off in the morning and picked me up that evening. No one > was very helpful and I found only ONE thing at the library that I couldn't > find on the internet. However, it does help thousands of people and I would > hate to see that Mayor Brown, gets the word on this and cuts back. I didn't > get to go to the other building where all the periodicals are held, I was too > busy searching :) I have always wanted to go back and go to the other > building... if you have never gone you are missing out, it has a plethera of > information to research, I just didn't know where to start first and I guess > I started in the wrong place...thanks for posting this, reminds me I should > pick up a newspaper occasionally, lol. > > >

Personally I was very disappointed in the Clayton, spent a day there, my husband dropped me off in the morning and picked me up that evening. No one was very helpful and I found only ONE thing at the library that I couldn't find on the internet. However, it does help thousands of people and I would hate to see that Mayor Brown, gets the word on this and cuts back. I didn't get to go to the other building where all the periodicals are held, I was too busy searching :) I have always wanted to go back and go to the other building... if you have never gone you are missing out, it has a plethera of information to research, I just didn't know where to start first and I guess I started in the wrong place...thanks for posting this, reminds me I should pick up a newspaper occasionally, lol.

Hears a suggestion for them: Open later in the day. Solves both problems at one time. (o:]>*HUGGLES*<[:o) Billie and Tracie Walsh The three best words in the English Language: "I LOVE YOU" Pass them on!

I'm here. Didn't think I was supposed to reply. Sorry (o:]>*HUGGLES*<[:o) Billie and Tracie Walsh The three best words in the English Language: "I LOVE YOU" Pass them on!

The article was very ON TOPIC for those of us who frequent Clayton. I'm happy to see it was published in the Chronicle. Cindy Harvey Texas City, TX Wichita & Caddo Nations http://www.rootsweb.com/~itwichit/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "David W. Morgan" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 2:27 PM Subject: [OK-Coordinators] off-topic post > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:39:29 -0500 > From: Lynna Kay Shuffield <[email protected]> > Subject: Houston Chronicle - Clayton facility faces cut > > May 17, 2002 - Front Page - Metro/State Section > > "Clayton facility faces cut to one night a week > Family researchers put out by library's move"

That's BULL.......I don't know what your definition of "Non-Communicative" is......but I have let know a couple times why I may not have completed whatever & that I was still working towards finishing it. BTW: the Qwest addy is no longer active, I can receive messages with that addy, but can't respond. The only addy that I have (that's on the web site also) is Filertel. Thanks Alli ----- Original Message ----- From: okgenweb The following counties are hereby deemed "non-communicative" and notified they are on probation. Osage Nation Alli Sheldon [email protected] & [email protected] Thanks, Marti SharonC

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:39:29 -0500 From: Lynna Kay Shuffield <[email protected]> Subject: Houston Chronicle - Clayton facility faces cut May 17, 2002 - Front Page - Metro/State Section "Clayton facility faces cut to one night a week Family researchers put out by library's move" By JANETTE RODRIGUES Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle The Houston Public Library is trying to put the genealogy back in the bottle. To meet its fiscal 2003 budget target, the library proposes to reduce hours at all facilities, including the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research. Houston Library Director Barbara Gubbin came under fire from genealogy enthusiasts across the country for her decision to reduce Clayton's evening hours from three days a week to one. This at a time when family research has become one of the most popular hobbies in the nation. "When we cut the hours back at Clayton Library, we are horribly penalizing people like myself who have to work for a living and can only get over there on nights and weekends," David Singleton, president of Clayton Library Friends, said Thursday. Gubbin referred all questions to the library department's communications office. "Our library system is refocusing our hours to use our available resources to serve the customers when they most use the library," said Blanca Quezada, a library spokeswoman. The library maintains that reducing hours at Clayton will save money, but it did not give a dollar figure. City Councilwoman Annise Parker called the Clayton library a "gem" but said she will not argue against cutting its hours. "If you ask me, do I shorten the hours at the Clayton Library or at neighborhood libraries where schoolkids are doing their homework and where we have our after-school programs, I have to say I'd rather keep those branch libraries open longer," she said. But family researchers and others are outraged that the city may cut the operating hours at one of the nation's premier genealogy libraries. "It's the only library of its kind in the South," said Lynna Kay Shuffield, a Houston-based amateur genealogist who writes a syndicated column on the subject. Among only five U.S. libraries with a complete collection of census records, Clayton has been recognized as one of the top 10 genealogy libraries in the country. According to Archives News magazine, it has the largest genealogical collection outside of the Mormon facility in Salt Lake City. Shuffield noted that Clayton patrons cannot check out the materials. As a noncirculating collection, books, microfilm and other records have to stay in the building. Clayton is visited by at least 72,000 people a year, including those from the West and East coasts and all points between, Shuffield said. Tourists who visit a community for genealogy or historic purposes spend $29 per day over and above what they normally spend visiting for personal or business reasons, said Shuffield. "And they tend to stay longer than (other) travelers," she added. Genealogy enthusiasts from as far away as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have e-mailed City Council members, pleading with them not to reduce the hours. Clayton's collection includes military records, passenger lists, family histories, lineage material, maps, periodicals and county, state and federal records from across the nation. Clayton supporters say it's not unusual for Texas genealogical societies to bring busloads of researchers to the facility at 5300 Caroline between Calumet and Southmore. The genealogical center is used by a cross section of people, from senior citizens looking for Mayflower ties to the Texas Slavery Project, a University of Houston professor's effort to document the 250,000 slaves who lived in Texas. Houstonian Robert de Berardinis, who has had more than 70 articles published in scholarly journals such as the National Genealogical Society quarterly, doesn't believe the reduction in operating hours has anything to do with budgetary constraints. "When Barbara Gubbin took over as head of the Houston Public Library (in 1995), there was one assistant director," he said. "Now there are five assistant directors, one of which was created last November during the hiring freeze." Singleton lays the blame at Mayor Lee Brown's door. "The current administration has handed the library director a dollar figure of how much the department will get," he said. Singleton said library officials told him fewer people are using the facility at night. "Well, that's because they are already there," he said. "They come in the morning and stay until closing." Chronicle reporter Rachel Graves contributed to this story ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Lynna Kay Shuffield P. O. Box 16604 Houston, Texas 77222 telephone: 713/692-4511 e-mail: [email protected] ---My webpages--- 'Our Loose Ends' Genealogy Column by Lynna Kay Shuffield http://www.geocities.com/lks_friday/COLUMN-001.htm 'My Loose Ends' Family Tree Database by Lynna Kay Shuffield http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi- bin/igm.cgi?db=friday Note above URL wraps around onto the next line, cut & paste it onto the end of the first line in the 'location box' on your browser. 'Milam County War Dead Project' http://www.geocities.com/lks_friday/ County Coordinator for the Milam County TXGenWeb http://www.geocities.com/milamco/ County Coordinator for the San Jacinto County TXGenWeb http://www.geocities.com/lks_friday/SANJAC-01.htm TX-CEMETERY-PRESERVATION http://www.geocities.com/lks_friday/CEMETERY-001.htm

Not happy that I am on this list, but it's my own fault! Thanks for the slight reprieve!! Susan > Folks - You should feel very proud of yourself!! > > I have been getting fantastic messages from visitors who appreciate all > your hard work and have forwarded those messages to the respective > coordinators. > > Charmaine, SharonC, and I want to say THANK YOU to each of you for your > cooperation with the evaluation and understanding the spirit it was > intended. > > The evaluations were a helping tool to let you know of a requirement you > may have overlooked. > > The first evaluation notice was posted March 11, 2002. Charmaine continued > to post a number of reminders to the CC list throughout the past sixty > days. > > Our guidelines are very clear where evaluations are concerned. If you wish > to continue to maintain an OKGenWeb site you are responsible for meeting > the requirements. > > The following counties are hereby deemed "non-communicative" and notified > they are on probation. The process of emailing the coordinator per the > guidelines begins today and continues through June 17, 2002. If the > coordinator is still "non-communicative" or unable to meet the guidelines > the county will be delinked from OKGenWeb and placed for adoption. > > County, Coordinators Name, Email of record > > Canadian Debbie Blevins [email protected] > Cleveland Gene Phillips [email protected] > Grady Gene Phillips [email protected] > Grant Edward Black [email protected] > Haskell Rose Carter [email protected] > Johnston Linda Bonham [email protected] - bounced again and > resub'd > Love Ray Weathers [email protected] > McClain Gene Phillips [email protected] > Osage Nation Alli Sheldon [email protected] & > [email protected] > Payne Kimberly Vieyra [email protected] > Pottawatomie Susan Morris [email protected] > > Again, each of the listed emails was checked against the list of > subscribers to the CC mailing list to be sure each one is subscribed to the > > mailing list. > > Thanks, > > Marti > SharonC > >

On Fri, 17 May 2002, okgenweb wrote: > > County, Coordinators Name, Email of record > > Canadian Debbie Blevins [email protected] This address bounced off my OKBECKHA list awhile back. David [email protected] David W. Morgan Honolulu Hawaii http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dmorgan/ http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tx/txfiles.htm

Just a reminder you are required by the guidelines to answer Roll Call via the mailing list. I have had no response from: Walsh Bill [email protected] Oklahoma co-cc Vieyra Kimberly [email protected] Payne Roy Pamela [email protected] Delaware Tribe Penn Leslie [email protected] Kiowa Co. Muncrief Dennis [email protected] Murray Marti first post Mon, 06 May 2002 09:56:34 -0500 second post Fri, 10 May 2002 13:12:09 -0500 Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 13:12:09 -0500 Subject: [OK-Coordinators] ROLL CALL update To: [email protected] Hi Folks - I appreciate the 56 of you that responded so quickly. In order to be ready for the Election Committee verification I need to hear from - Young Teresa [email protected] Pushmataha co-cc Walsh Bill [email protected] Oklahoma co-cc Vieyra Kimberly [email protected] Payne Tracey Judy [email protected] Roger Mills co-cc Roy Pamela [email protected] Delaware Tribe Penn Leslie [email protected] Kiowa Co. Muncrief Dennis [email protected] Murray Holmes Martha Kendall [email protected] Roger Mills co-cc Drowatzky Sheridan [email protected] Jefferson co-cc Black Edward A. [email protected] Grant & Woods Each email has been checked to assure the coordinator is on the CC mailing list. These were not on the mailing list, but have been re-subscribed and a private message sent to notify them of roll call and site evaluation. Blevins Debbie [email protected] Canadian Bonham Linda [email protected] Johnston [05-16-02 Linda bounced off again - was resub'd again today]

Here is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It was written specifically to ensure that persons had a right to keep their health insurance and to provide some privacy to live people. It originally had nothing to do with the dead. I am also sending a couple more links to the Administrative Simplification (Doublespeak if I ever heard it!) and more on the privacy provisions. Click here: P.L. 104-191 http://aspe.hhs.gov/admnsimp/pl104191.htm#1177 --------------------------------------------- http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/whatsnew.html --------------------------------------------- http://www.hcfa.gov/facts/f9702as.htm --------------------------------------------- -- Frederick M. Dittmar Diggin' Deep Genealogy Research Service Box 2601 - Norman, Oklahoma 73070-2601 http://www.dittmar.net/fred Member: Association of Professional Genealogists Mail List Administrator: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Board Member & Genealogical Assistant Oklahoma Genealogical Society http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgs

Folks - You should feel very proud of yourself!! I have been getting fantastic messages from visitors who appreciate all your hard work and have forwarded those messages to the respective coordinators. Charmaine, SharonC, and I want to say THANK YOU to each of you for your cooperation with the evaluation and understanding the spirit it was intended. The evaluations were a helping tool to let you know of a requirement you may have overlooked. The first evaluation notice was posted March 11, 2002. Charmaine continued to post a number of reminders to the CC list throughout the past sixty days. Our guidelines are very clear where evaluations are concerned. If you wish to continue to maintain an OKGenWeb site you are responsible for meeting the requirements. The following counties are hereby deemed "non-communicative" and notified they are on probation. The process of emailing the coordinator per the guidelines begins today and continues through June 17, 2002. If the coordinator is still "non-communicative" or unable to meet the guidelines the county will be delinked from OKGenWeb and placed for adoption. County, Coordinators Name, Email of record Canadian Debbie Blevins [email protected] Cleveland Gene Phillips [email protected] Grady Gene Phillips [email protected] Grant Edward Black [email protected] Haskell Rose Carter [email protected] Johnston Linda Bonham [email protected] - bounced again and resub'd Love Ray Weathers [email protected] McClain Gene Phillips [email protected] Osage Nation Alli Sheldon [email protected] & [email protected] Payne Kimberly Vieyra [email protected] Pottawatomie Susan Morris [email protected] Again, each of the listed emails was checked against the list of subscribers to the CC mailing list to be sure each one is subscribed to the mailing list. Thanks, Marti SharonC

Early last week I fired off emails to my state senator and 3 or 4 others that I know requesting their help in defeating SB 1608. So far I've received one reply promising that the senator "will look into it." SB1608 is still being reported as being "in committee". To prevent access to death certificates because of a poorly thought out knee jerk reaction to international terrorism is akin to using a sledge hammer to drive a carpet tack. Genealogical research should not be held hostage by legislative over-reaction. If you haven't contacted our legislators then you'll have no one to blame but yourself when yet another liberty is stripped away. -------------------- Ron Henson Choctaw Co. Coordinator Oklahoma GenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~okchocta Yahoo IM okchocta

Payne Co has been completed. --- Charmaine Keith <[email protected]> wrote: > May 15, 2002 is closing date for all Evaluations > > There are still 16 who have not responded to county > evaluations! > > The following url is the work sheet for the > evaluations. This work sheet > shows when the evaluation was done and sent to > coordinator and the date the > evaluation was completed (county meets all OKGenWeb > requirements). > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~itcherok/evaluation2.htm > > If your county evaluation indicated you needed to > make changes, contact > Charmaine at [email protected] immediately > after completing required > changes in order to have your county rechecked and > listed as complete > > If your county evaluation shows that county page is > within all of the > requirements or you have already made the needed > changes and the county has > been rechecked, you DO NOT need to contact anyone as > your counties are > already marked as completed. > > Charmaine > Atoka Co. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~okatoka/atoka.htm > Cherokee Nation > http://www.rootsweb.com/~itcherok/ > Choctaw Nation > http://www.rootsweb.com/~itchocta/ > Delaware Co. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~okdelawa/del.htm > > ===== Visit my webpage at: http://hometown.aol.com/mkvieyra/kimberly.htm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com

January 22, 2002 Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION UNDER HIPAA: NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR TRANSACTIONS, SECURITY AND PRIVACY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overview: To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 included a series of "administrative simplification" provisions that required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions. By ensuring consistency throughout the industry, these national standards will make it easier for health plans, doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to process claims and other transactions electronically. The law also requires the adoption of security and privacy standards in order to protect personal health information. HHS is issuing the following major regulations: �Electronic health care transactions (final rule issued); �Health information privacy (final rule issued); �Security requirements (proposed rule issued; final rule in development); �Unique identifier for employers (proposed rule issued; final rule in development); �Unique identifier for providers (proposed rule issued; final rule in development); �Unique identifier for health plans (proposed rule in development); and �Enforcement procedures (proposed rule in development). Although the HIPAA law also called for a unique health identifier for individuals, HHS and Congress have indefinitely postponed any effort to develop such a standard. Under HIPAA, most health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers who engage in certain electronic transactions have two years from the time the final regulation takes effect to implement each set of final standards. More information about the HIPAA standards is available at http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/admnsimp/.

here ----- Original Message ----- From: "okgenweb" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 6:34 AM Subject: [OK-Coordinators] ROLL CALL update > Just a reminder you are required by the guidelines to answer Roll Call via > the mailing list. > > I have had no response from: > > Walsh Bill [email protected] Oklahoma co-cc > Vieyra Kimberly [email protected] Payne > Roy Pamela [email protected] Delaware Tribe > Penn Leslie [email protected] Kiowa Co. > Muncrief Dennis [email protected] Murray > > > Marti > > first post Mon, 06 May 2002 09:56:34 -0500 > second post Fri, 10 May 2002 13:12:09 -0500 > > > Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 13:12:09 -0500 > Subject: [OK-Coordinators] ROLL CALL update > To: [email protected] > > Hi Folks - I appreciate the 56 of you that responded so quickly. > In order to be ready for the Election Committee verification I need to hear > from - > > Young Teresa [email protected] Pushmataha co-cc > Walsh Bill [email protected] Oklahoma co-cc > Vieyra Kimberly [email protected] Payne > Tracey Judy [email protected] Roger Mills co-cc > Roy Pamela [email protected] Delaware Tribe > Penn Leslie [email protected] Kiowa Co. > Muncrief Dennis [email protected] Murray > Holmes Martha Kendall [email protected] Roger Mills co-cc > Drowatzky Sheridan [email protected] Jefferson co-cc > Black Edward A. [email protected] Grant & Woods > > Each email has been checked to assure the coordinator is on the CC mailing > list. > > These were not on the mailing list, but have been re-subscribed and a > private message sent to notify them of roll call and site evaluation. > > Blevins Debbie [email protected] Canadian > Bonham Linda [email protected] Johnston > [05-16-02 Linda bounced off again - was resub'd again today] >

IMPORTANT This one needs our attention "NOW" before they pass a bill that may limit our access to these records. Contact information for the legislature is below. Marti -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= original message -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 07:01:55 -0500 From: Frederick Dittmar <[email protected]> Subject: [Fwd: Genealogist Alert re: Senate Bill 1608] To: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] The following was sent to all e-mail registered OGS members yesterday and then contact was made with the Legislature both by phone and mail. Now it's your turn. One Representative said that it was to keep people from acquiring Social Security Numbers of the deceased. He was informed about the SSDI link on Rootsweb and and others plus the fact that Death Certificates do not have SSN on them. The way this "law" is written only the deceased can obtain a copy, "disclosing information from or releasing any part or copy of any Vital Statistics Records to anyone but "the person who is the subject of the record ..." Talk with your Senator and Representative SOON - NOW. Let your County Board know what's happening. Another link to the Oklahoma House & Senant and the US Representatives & Senators is: <http://www.state.ok.us/?c=7&sc=80>http://www.state.ok.us/?c=7&sc=80 for addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Thank you, Fred Frederick M. Dittmar Board Member & Genealogical Assistant Oklahoma Genealogical Society <http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgs>http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgs Diggin' Deep Genealogy Research Service Box 2601 - Norman, Oklahoma 73070-2601 <http://www.dittmar.net/fred>http://www.dittmar.net/fred Member: Association of Professional Genealogists Received: from iris.SERVICES.ou.edu Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 15:52:19 -0400 (EDT) From: [email protected] Subject: Genealogist Alert re: Senate Bill 1608 To: [email protected] Dear OGS members and friends, The Oklahoma legislature is about to pass into law something that affects genealogists in a very big way. Senate Bill No. 1608 makes several changes to the Statute (63 O. S. 2001) dealing with Vital Statistics. One part (Section 1-323) deletes the language that exempts death certificates from the prohibition against permitting inspection of, disclosing information from or releasing any part or copy of any Vital Statistics Records to anyone but "the person who is the subject of the record or in such person's interest unless ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction". Until this bill, death certificates were specifically exempted from that prohibition against release. The deletion of that exemption places Oklahoma death certificates among the records that will no longer be available to researchers. If passed with the emergency declaration as written, this becomes law July 1, 2002. The original bill was passed in the Senate on March 18, 2002. The House added amendments relating to other sections and passed it April 15, 2002. The House amendments are still to be dealt with and so it will be before our legislators again in conference. There is also the Governor's signature still to come. The bill's intention is probably not to restrict our access, but that may be the result. An immediate phone call followed quickly by a letter to your Senator and your Representative (and possibly the Governor) to express your views of the bill would be useful at this time. As with all contacts with our elected representatives, clearly and respectfully stated views on pending legislation is usually appreciated. Please make contact as quickly as possible as the legislature is trying to wind down this session soon. The switch board number for the Senate is 524-0126 and for the House is 521-2711. You may track the progress of the bill and get contact information at the Oklahoma Legislature website < <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/>http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/ > (Each representative has an e-mail address listed at this site.) Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Your fellow genealogists will be in your debt. Sincerely, Oklahoma Genealogical Society Board of Directors