I hope this will be the last word on HB 836 for a while. It's a serious issue, and I want to keep you up to date on it, with a minimum of misinformation. Gail ----- Original Message ----- From: Mic Barnette (by way of Trey Holt <holt@txcyber.com>) <barnette@neosoft.com> To: <TXGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 10:09 PM Subject: [TXGENWEB] UPDATE HB 836 > Dear Fellow HB 836-ers > > > THERE WILL BE NO HEARING WEDNESDAY MORNING > > Thanks to all who wrote, telephoned, faxed and emailed. > > Senator Zaffirini, sponsor of HB 836, pulled the bill from the hearing set > for Wednesday tomorrow morning at 7 A.M. > > Our senators have heard our pleas and are looking closer at HB 836. > > Sen Zaffirini's office is reworking the wording of the bill as they will > propose it. > > Please be vigilant and keep a close watch on what happens. If you are able > to be present at the hearing when it is re-scheduled, please do. If you have > not contacted your senator and the Senate Health Services Committee members, > please do. > > > ADDRESSES AND FORMATTING EMAILS To SENATORS > > For as long as the crisis lasts, the latest information on HB 836 will be > posted on the website of Barnette's Family Tree Book Co at > http://barnettesbooks.com > > Earlier we posted a format for emails to senators. The format was incorrect. > It has been corrected on the website now. > > Basically, to format an email to your own senator, use your own senator's > name in the following format: > > Firstname.Lastname@senate.state.tx.us > > If you do not know the name of your senator, a link to the Texas legislature > website is on Barnette's Books webpage. Just link to the website and insert > your home address. The website will give you the name of your state senator. > > There is a link on the same website to find the name, address, telephone and > fax number of your senator. > > The names, addresses, telephone numbers, faxes and email addresses of the > Senate Health Services Committee are posted on the website. > > On the same website there is a link that will give the current status of HB > 836 or any other bill in the legislature. > > I will be leaving this Friday morning for Richmond Virginia. I will be there > all next week attending the National Genealogical Society Conference. I > will be totally out of state and out of the loop. > > John Miller, President of the Austin Genealogical Society, has agreed to > coordinate and be a point of contact until this situation is resolved. > > John's email address is JoCMiller@aol.com Thank you , John! > > Shannon Clyde shannonc@wwclyde.com sent the following message. It seems to > summarize and clarify what we have been able to ascertain. It explains much > of the differences we, as genealogists, have with HB 836 and explains the > intent of the bill as it was originally introduced. Unfortunately the bill > got to the legislature before it should have. > > Thank you, Shannon. > > > Dear folks, > I hope I can clarify and update you on House Bill 836 re. Vital Records in > Texas, specifically the controversy about the Summary Index. Feel free to > drop me a line for more information or to clarify anything in this mail. > The Problem: > Birth and Death Records in Texas are sealed for 50 and 25 years > respectively. This includes the General Index which includes parental data. > It is not supposed to include the Summary Index which includes Name, Date, > Place. Some local clerks were not aware of this distinction, or under > concerns for privacy, closed all Birth and Death information, including the > Summary Index until they met the 25/50 rule and could be opened. > House Bill 836 authored by the honorable Tracy O. King of Uvalde, Texas was > created to clarify the appropriate disclosure of the Summary Index. While > in committee, HB836 was amended to distinguish between the General Index > and the Summary Index. An error appears to have been made that instead of > clarifying the difference, closed all index information with the records, > tying them to the 25/50 year rule. > The General Index should remain tied to the actual record. This is > reinforced by existing legislature (see Administration Code Chapter > 1871.10 http://www.sos.state.tx.us ). This protects against misuse and > primarily protects the parents of adopted children who wish to remain > anonymous. > Call To Action: > Genealogists and others who need public access to the summary index should > voice their opinion with the chairperson of the Senate Human Services, > Honorable Ms. Judith Zaffirini and the author of the bill, Honorable Tracy > O. King. The persons handling this legislation in their offices are: > For Zaffirini: Sophia - phone:512-463-0121 > For King: Amy - phone 512-463-0742 > Please reinforce that we must keep the Summary Index open to the public. > Update: > I spoke with Sophia in the office of the Honorable Ms. Zaffirini. Sophia > explained that they have decided to postpone public hearing until next week > so that they have time to fix the error in the amendment. > I hope this helps. > regards, > Shannon Clyde > http://wwclyde.com/gibsonfamily > http://wwclyde.com/clydefamily > http://wwclyde.com/wealesfamily > > > > > > Mic Barnette's Writes a Weekly Genealogy Column In > The Houston Chronicle. Read it on the Web At Barnette's > Family Tree Book Company > http://barnettesbooks.com > > > > > > ==== TXGEN Mailing List ==== > The TXGEN-L/TXGEN-D mailing list is for announcements and the > discussion of issues concerning the volunteers of The TXGenWeb Project. > This is NOT the proper list for posting genealogical research queries. >