Gleaned from the RAOGK mailing list: If anyone on the list if from MA...
check this out! We do not need any more restrictions on our genealogy records.
I wonder if it would make a difference if those that had family from / in MA
to at least send an email? This was done with other states and it has helped.
Brenda
____________New England & H? Genealogy Society or something of that effect.
')
This is from the NEHGS newsletter and thought it might be of interest.
Anyone on the list from MA should consider sending a letter to their members of
the legislature to make sure they are in favor of this bill and NOT in favor of
Mr. O'Brien's bills.
Vital Records Access Bills Before Massachusetts Legislature
Access to records is of extreme importance to genealogists. The
Massachusetts legislature now has three bills before it regarding access to
vital records in the Commonwealth. NEHGS, the Massachusetts Historical
Society, and the Massachusetts Genealogical Council are supporting house bill
H-3448, "An Act Relative to Birth, Marriage, and Death Records," sponsored by
Stephen P. LeDuc.
This bill provides for birth records up to 1925 and marriage and death
records through 1960 to be transferred to the Massachusetts Archives within three
years of January 1, 2007, with additional transfers occurring every five
years thereafter (currently the archives has records through 1915). All records
and indexes would remain open to the public through the present
time. It also provides for a "special certified copy" of records for general
information, as opposed to legal purposes.
Three other bills, H-3642, H-3643, and H-3644, are sponsored by Thomas
O'Brien. These bills impose more difficult restrictions on access to the records,
effectively closing all records less than fifty years old. These bills have
little to no support in the genealogical community.
House Bill H-3448 will be heard before the Committee on Public Health on
Wednesday, October 19th in Room A1 at the State House in Boston. A strong
showing from the genealogical community at the hearing will help the bill as it
makes its way through the legislature. Please join us at this hearing if you are
able.
For more information about records access issues in your area, visit
www.fgs.org/rpa.