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From: Amy Johnson Crow <>
Subject: [APG] Bad news on Ohio vital records
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 07:54:00 -0400


It is with a very heavy heart that I must report that we lost on Ohio House
Bill 95. Yesterday afternoon, the Senate approved the bill (it was approved
by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday). With HB95, we lose uncertified
copies of vital records and certified copies have an additional $5
surcharge (making the cost of a certified copy a minimum of $15).

If you want to read the bill as passed by the Senate, here's the link (it
is a huge page):
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText125/125_HB_95_PS_N.html

The pertinent sections are 3705.23 and 3705.24.

Because this language matches the House version of the bill, I have little
hope that it would change in the committee working to reconcile the House
and Senate versions.

I know that we are still "fortunate" (and I use that term loosely) in Ohio
in that the records are not restricted in other ways. However, based upon
conversations I have had in recent days with officials with the Ohio
Department of Health, the next step will be to restrict access -- either
with a time restriction and/or an access restriction (only qualified
parties can get a copy of the record).

We tried our best. We gave them good, reasonable, logical explanations as
to why eliminating uncertified copies will do nothing to prevent identity
theft. We gave them possible alternatives so that uncertified copies would
no longer be a financial hardship on the agencies involved. I would be
willing to bet that genealogists were the only group that contacted the
senate that was willing to accept a fee increase! But our arguments and
concessions were apparently not enough.

I don't know what to say, except get all of the birth and death
certificates you need from Ohio before July 1 when this law will go into
effect.

Amy Crow

========================
Amy Johnson Crow, CG
PO Box 1394
Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-6394
voice (614) 755-2769
fax (614) 866-6162


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