Tuesday, January 15, 2008

OHIO: Ohio Adoption Records News


OHIO ADOPTION RECORDS NEWS!

On Wednesday, January 16, the Ohio House Health Committee will hold a public PROPONENT hearing on HB 7, a bill to reform various aspects of adoption and foster care in Ohio. Included in this bill is a section that restores the right of unrestricted access to the original birth certificates of ALL Ohio adoptees. Currently, only pre-1964 adoptee have the right to their OBCs with no restrictions. This is a clean bill. No vetoes. It has a good chance of passing in the House.

I only learned about the up-coming hearing this weekend. This is short notice obviously, but we are looking for people who can testify in favor of HB 7. If you cannot testify in person, please write letters to the Health Committee in support of it.

I will testify at the hearing and have prepared a small legislative packet to distribute to committee members. Wednesday evening I'll post my testimony on my blog: The Daily Bastardette, http://bastardette.blogspot.com

LEGISLATIVE LINKS:
HB 7: PDF: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText127/127_HB_7_I_Y.pdf or HTML: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText127/127_HB_7_I_Y.html
This bill is very long so you may want to read the analysis instead.

Legislation Services Analysis: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/analyses.cfm?ID=127_HB_7&ACT=As%20Introduced
Pages 4-9 and 18-20 pertain to the records access section.

Members of the House Health Committee: http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Committee.jsp?ID=15

Sponsor: Rep. Tom Brinkman, Jr. (District 34, Cincinnati)
Aide: Kara Joseph
Telephone:
Fax :
Email Address: district34@ohr.state.oh.us
Please contact Kara if you plan to testify. Attached is a Witness Information Form you can fax to her. These forms will also be available at the hearing.

HEARING INFORMATION:
LOCATION:
Ohio State House
Corner of Broad and High
Downtown Columbus, Ohio
Parking is usually available in the Statehouse Underground Parking garage. http://www.ohiochannel.org/your_state/ohio_statehouse/information/parking/index.cfm
Driving directions: http://www.ohiochannel.org/your_state/ohio_statehouse/information/contact/driving_directions.cfm

HEARING ROOM 121

TIME: 10:00 AM



NOTE: At this time we are looking ONLY for those with Ohio connections to testify or to contact the committee: persons born and/or adopted in Ohio; parents who relinquished in Ohio; parents who adopted in Ohio; adoptees and family members from other states currently living in Ohio. When you contact committee members please state your Ohio connection.

HB 7 has been in the works for about a year. It is not a Bastard Nation bill, but Bastard Nation supports the bill as currently written.

Ohio is a key state in the records access battle.
HELP US MAKE OHIO THE TIPPING POINT FOR THE COUNTRY!

I am collecting email addresses of Ohio access supporters and will keep everyone informed of what's happening. Please pass this information on to anyone with an Ohio interest in adoptee rights, records access, and adoption reform.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wake up!!!!! HB-7 will be stripped of all effort to allow adopted persons access to their birth records. There is a hearing 4/16 at 4:00PM. In all probability the provisions will be gone after that!!!

Stand up and be pissed off!!

Anonymous said...

I live in canton ohio I have 2 kids my kids are in foster care the worker that was on my case told a lot of lies I had a public defender on my case he did not do nothing on my case he did not file nothing on case my kids are suffering in foster care there trying to put my kids up for adoption / sale we have to stop cps / family court The foster care system is a broken system I would like for everyone to join me & many other parents / families in are fight to bring all of are children home safe to there parents / families anyone can contact me my e-mail is kindnessohio33@yahoo.net let's stop cps

Anonymous said...

I live in canton ohio I have 2 kids my kids have been adopted out cps did not contact me we all need to come together to fight to get are kids back we have to stop cps / family court I would like for anyone to e-mail me kindnessohio@att.net I need help / support