Pam, I was informed earlier today that Mr. Houser had a typo in his article. The House bill is HB443. Of course the whole thing is ridiculous. What else could you expect from the clowns voted to represent us? I sometimes wonder who is doing the counting because most that I, friends and family vote for lose. Al At 12:23 PM 11/9/2007, you wrote: >Just like everywhere else, the government is probably >satisfied that it looks like they are doing something >about a problem, when in reality they aren't. Of >course the proposed legislation is ridiculous. It is >historians and other students who will suffer, not the >crooks. >Pamela L. > >--- alenkner@stargate.net wrote: > > > > > << Pennsylvania Open Records Law > > By Justin K. Houser > > Bellefonte, Pennsylvania > > > > Pennsylvania is considering an Open Records Law, > > currently known as > > House Bill 343. In its current state, the bill would > > "deem > > inaccessible" any record containing a birth date or > > address, among > > other items. If interpreted literally, this bill > > would seal birth, > > marriage, death, deed, probate, divorce, and hosts > > of other county > > court records. > > > > For as long as can be remembered, these records have > > been publicly > > accessible (with the exception of birth and death > > records after 1906, > > which are available through an application process), > > and have been > > abstracted, indexed, published, and disseminated in > > whole or in part > > by many genealogical societies. > > > > Going to the county offices and wading through these > > records is not > > the major source of identity theft this bill makes > > it out to be. > > Identity theft derives chiefly from carelessness > > with correspondence, > > which is rummaged through by thieves after it is > > discarded, or by > > thieves obtaining credit card and other information > > through fraudulent > > communications. This bill would make the work of > > genealogists, local > > historians, missing heirs, researchers, and > > individuals seeking to > > trace the history of a particular piece of property > > nearly impossible. > > > > I feel that the genealogical community needs to make > > its voice known > > by contacting the Pennsylvania Legislature and the > > governor's office > > to voice opposition to House Bill 343--particularly > > Section 307--and > > to push for an exception to be made in the case of > > the county "row > > office" records that have traditionally been > > available. In no way > > should the centuries-old ability to use these > > records by law-abiding > > citizens be shut off. > > > > We already have provisions in place to protect the > > most sensitive of > > these records. Marriage records do not even contain > > Social Security > > Numbers--they were redacted and are no longer > > visible. The same could > > be done with other instances of Social Security > > Numbers, which are > > generally not necessary in most public documents. > > (The Social Security > > Numbers of all deceased persons are already posted > > online at the > > Social Security Death Index. Rather than enhancing > > identity theft, > > this tool prevents it by enabling individuals to > > quickly check for > > fraudulent uses of Social Security Numbers.) > > Adoption records are > > sealed and accessible only by court order. Records > > of births and > > deaths are available for a $9.00 fee from the > > Department of Health. > > > > Other states are making their records more > > accessible, rather than > > less accessible. Several years ago, Texas released > > the index to > > births, marriages, and deaths as an online database, > > covering the > > years 1905 to the present. The city of Chicago, > > Illinois, is planning > > to digitize and release its records for historical > > inquiry in January. > > > > California has released a complete index to its > > death registers from > > 1940 to 1997. Ohio has also made death record > > indices available for a > > nominal cost, and records can be ordered through the > > state by any > > interested party. Arizona has released its death > > records via a public > > website, as has Utah and West Virginia, which I > > believe is also > > contemplating a similar procedure for marriage > > records. Georgia is > > releasing all of its death records to online public > > access, beginning > > with 1919. > > > > The leadership of the Pennsylvania Legislature can > > be found here: > > > > House: > > >http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house/office > > rs.cfm > > Senate: > > >http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate/offic > > ers.cfm > > Governor: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/ > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email > > to PACHESTE-request@rootsweb.com with the word > > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > > the body of the message > > > > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.26/1119 - Release Date: >11/8/2007 5:55 PM