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Archiver > IOWA > 2000-02 > 0949617281


From: "The Craig's" <>
Subject: Re: [IOWA] IOWA BIRTH RECORDS TO CLOSE
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:34:41 -0600


Everyone...please send an email to the Iowa governor at the site given below
to give your input to the importance of the public records everywhere.
Marilyn
Spencer, Iowa
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Harrison <>
To: <>
Date: Thursday, February 03, 2000 2:44 PM
Subject: [IOWA] IOWA BIRTH RECORDS TO CLOSE


>The Iowa State Department of Health, Vital Records Division, would like
>to see all birth records less than 95 years old closed to the public at
>the county level and have drafted a bill to this effect to be taken up
>by the legislature. According to Larry Coghlan of the Vital Records
>Dept., "The proposal is to make birth certificates 95 years old and
>older available for inspection and copying at the county level. The rest
>of the birth certificates would require a direct and tangible interest
>to obtain a copy. It is being proposed because of the identity theft
>(fraud) that has been taking place throughout the United States."
>
>This proposal raises a number of questions: Is it really necessary to
>close 95 years of records to address this problem? How will moving the
>records from the county level to the state level make it any more (or
>less) difficult for people interested in committing fraud? How will they
>define "direct and tangible interest"? Will state employees have the
>time and inclination to REALLY search the records for your ancestor, or
>will they keep the money and say "Not Found!" when the record is not
>exactly where it should be but just a few lines or pages away? Can they
>take the time to search for possible misspellings or decipher illegible
>handwriting? If ISDH gets this passed for birth records will all the
>other records will follow suit? Is this an ill-conceived plan to punish
>the innocent (genealogists and others who need access to these records)
>instead of the guilty (those who commit fraud)?
>
>We need to ask questions, now. If you cherish your right to have all
>your county records available at your county courthouse, now is the time
>to speak up. WRITE… CALL… EMAIL… your county officials, state
>representative, and yes, even Governor Vilsack. If you don’t speak up
>now, it might be too late.
>
>CONTACT INFORMATION
>
>The Honorable Governor Vilsack
>Mailing Address: Office of the Governor
> State Capitol
> Des Moines, IA 50319
>Phone or Fax: (515) 281-5211 (515) phone :: 281-6611 fax
>Email the Governor:
>http://www.state.ia.us/governor/comments/capitol_correspond/index.html
>
>The web page below has links to District Maps and to the emails of all
>the Iowa Senators and Representatives. Send an email to the ones
>representing your county of interest:
> http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Members/78GA-members.html.
>
>I will post the bill number and the names of committee members as soon
>as that information is available.
>
>-Richard
>
>--
>Richard Harrison/Encinitas, San Diego, California
>IAGenWeb State Coord.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~iagenweb/index.htm
>IAGEN-L List Owner:
>IOWA-L List Owner:
>Jones Co. IAGenWeb Coord.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~iajones/index.htm
>Jones Co. List Owner:
>Richard's Genealogy: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard
>
>
>==== IOWA Mailing List ====
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>USCensus: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/census/states/iowa/iowa.htm
>Census Online: http://www.census-online.com/links/IA.html
>
>==============================
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