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On March 15 I sent the following email to our Kentucky Senators using the form found here: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/Mailform/mailform.htmI also sent personal copies to these 3 Senators using their email addys below:
For those who are interested, the Judiciary Committee is chaired by
Jack Westwood, email: jack.westwood@lrc.state.ky.us
and the other members are
Robert Stivers email: robert.stivers@lrc.state.ky.us
and Ed Miller email: ed.miller@lrc.state.ky.usIn checking the Legislative research page, there is no change in status for HB523, Vital Records. It is still in the Judiciary Committee.
I hope that everyone will email them with their opposition.
To: Sen. Jack Westwood, Sen. Robert Stivers and Sen. Ed Miller
Copies to ALL Kentucky Senators please.Gentlemen:
I am writing you as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee considering HB 523 which would limit access to Kentucky Vital records. As a genealogist and a voter in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky, I implore you to consider this bill very carefully prior to voting.
I have several concerns where this bill is concerned:
First, the information that is being restricted with this bill is public information and can be easily obtained from many other sources, such as very detailed birth announcements, obituaries, and marriage and anniversary announcements in the local newspapers, which are usually either put online by the newspapers themselves or the newspapers are microfilmed and copies sold or made available at the local libraries, genealogical societies and the Kentucky Library and Archives. The information put in these announcements contain much more detail about the parties than the vital records themselves. I feel very strongly that if the purpose of this bill is to provide 'privacy' for the individual, it is closing the barn door after the horse has already escaped for the reasons stated above.
Second, as a genealogist, I travel to many Kentucky counties as well as other states. These genealogy research trips mean I spend a great deal of money wherever I go for food, gas, motels, genealogy books and copies of records found. This bill will greatly affect the economy of Kentucky if the thousands of family researchers are denied access to these records so have no reason to travel to Kentucky.
Third, this information has already been microfilmed and available at many libraries as well as thousands of CDs containing the information already in the hands of the public. It isn't fair to the thousands of citizens researching in our great state, whether they live in Kentucky or not, that can't afford to purchase the CDs or microfilm while available, and happen to live somewhere that does not have it available for their use. I also wonder how the state plans to confiscate all these records already available?
And finally, this information, since it is already so widely available to the public in so many different formats, if the purpose of the bill is to prohibit identity theft, it's too little too late.
I do hope you agree with me and millions like me and vote against this bill. Sincerely,
Nancy Trice
I have deleted my personal information, address, phone, etc which I included in the email I sent to our Senators. Let's ALL write to the Kentucky Senators and express our opposition. Feel free to use any part of my email to them.
nt
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USGenWeb - Conceived in the hearts and minds of Kentucky researchers
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