ROAR! 2013 – Restore Ohio Adoptee Rights in 2013

Good news!

We learned today, February 1, 2013, that our bill on adoptee access to birth certificates – which is now bills (two bills) — is being introduced next Friday. There will be companion bills concurrently in the Ohio House and in the Ohio Senate. We have two sponsors in each body — Representative Dorothy Pelanda (R) and Representative Nicki Antonio (D) in the House, and Senator Bill Beagle (R) and Senator Dave Burke (R) in the Senate. Each has a personal adoption connection as well as a policy interest, and passion for the cause.

The sponsors have sent out a request for co-sponsors to the full House and Senate. Co-sponsors need to sign on by next Thursday.

Of course, we will be in the best position if we have lots of co-sponsors. Please contact your state senator and your state representative to ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor. They need to know that their constituents are interested, and this will be a great way for you to start the discussion with them. If you don’t know who your representative and senator are, you can find out at this site: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/

Please let Betsie Norris know who you contact and what type of response you get.

View an overview of the bill and some common myths and facts to dispel them. Please feel free to use these and pass them along.

Thank you so much for your action and support!

About the legislation:
Ohio Senate Bill 23, sponsored by Senators Beagle and Burke, and House Bill 61, sponsored by Representatives Pelanda and Antonio, were introduced February 12, 2013. Senate Bill 23 was assigned to the Senate Medicaid, Health and Human Services Committee and House Bill 61 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

The bills will allow:
• Ohio adoptees adopted 1964 to 1996* access to their Original Birth Certificate upon request at age 18, starting one year from bill passage date.
• Ohio birthparents to file a Contact Preference Form specifying if and how they would like contact.
• Ohio birthparents to complete and put on file an updated medical history for the adoptee.
(*Adult adoptees from before 1964 in Ohio already have this right, as do the vast majority of adoptees after 1996.)

To find your legislator, visit: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
For more information, visit: www.adoptionequityohio.org/