TxARC/Bastard Nation Action Alert: Texas HB2725--House Public Health Commttee.Vote Do Pass

TxARC/Bastard Nation Action Alert

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Texas adoptees need your help today!

Bastard Nation is a proud member of the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition

HB2725 granting all Texas-born adult adoptees equal and unrestricted access to their original birth certificates will be heard in the House Public Health Committee on Wednesday, April 10th. The hearing will begin at 10:30 am or upon adjournment of the House and will be held in room E2.026.

Verbal testimony is being limited due to the number of bills on the calendar, but we encourage all supporters of this bill to come to the hearing to submit written testimony and/or register a YES vote in favor of the bill. You don’t have to be an adoptee to support this bill!

If you would like to support HB2725 in the House committee hearing but can’t attend the hearing, please send written testimony to advocates@txarc.org and txadoptees will file your testimony at the hearing. Please email all testimony by noon on 4/9/19.

Representative Calanni, our bill sponsor, and her staff have been absolutely wonderful in communicating and working with us and the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition to get this clean bill filed and into a committee hearing. They are fully committed to fighting to ensure the success of HB2725!

The bill, supported by Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition (Equality for Adoptees. Gladney Adoptees for Rights and Equality, Adoptee Rights Law Center, Bastard Nation, Reclaim the Records), TxCare, Texas STAR, American Adoption Congress, and Concerned United Birthparents (CUB):

Restores the right of all Texas-born adoptees, at age 18, to obtain noncertified copies of their own original birth certificates upon request;
Allows, deceased adoptee descendants, adult siblings, surviving spouse, or adoptive parents to request and obtain the adoptee’s original birth certificate;
Contains genuine contact preference form (CPF)
Allows birthparents to file a supplemental medical history form that would provide additional information to the adoptee;
Requires adoption agencies to inform birth parents of the provisions of the new law and the availability of the contact preference form

Bastard Nation testimony has been submitted and will be posted here after the hearing.

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