News March 18, 2018

South Carolina: Emergency Action Alert, H 3775. Don’t let a clean bill go bad. Keep Section 3 Clean

by Marley Greiner

BASTARD NATION ACTION ALERT

URGENT!

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March 17, 2018

South Carolina adoptees need your help today

Please contact all members of the South Carolina House Committee on Medical, Military, Public,

and Municipal Affairs today!

 

DO PASS H 3775  AS  INTRODUCED

DO NOT PASS AMENDMENT THAT GUTS BILL AND IS SCHEDULED TO BE INTRODUCED ON MARCH 20, 2018

******

The South Carolina  House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing for H 3775 on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.

The full language of the original  bill can be found   here

The bill:

  • restores the right of Original Birth Certificate  (OBC) access and evidence of adoption or paternity determination,  to all adoptees born in South Carolina  21 and over, without restriction or conditions
  • contains a genuine voluntary Contact Preference Form similar to those found in Oregon, Alabama, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island.

The Good News  H 3775 was introduced on February 16, 2018 and received virtually no publicity.  It was carried over to the 2018 session but appeared to be dead.  On Friday, March 16, 2018, however,  we learned that it has been revived and will be heard on March 20 before the Committee,   According to a member of the committee, the bill has had no real opposition.

Until….now

The Bad News:   An amendment to H 3775 will reportedly be brought forward at the hearing. The amendment guts H3775 by making OBC access prospective only; thus leaving thousands of South Caroling adoptees in the same situation they are currently in: locked out and left behind.

Bastard Nation has obtained a copy of the amendment. Section C is the killer.

SECTION 2. Immediately upon enactment, the Office of the State Registrar of the Department of Health and
Environmental Control shall conduct a public service campaign to inform the public of the provisions of the act, including the right of an adult adoptee age twenty-one years or older to obtain a copy of the adoptee’s own original birth certificate and medical history provided by a biological parent and the right of a biological parent to execute a contact preference form indicating whether or not the biological parent would like to have contact with the adult adoptee.

SECTION 3. This act takes effect one year after approval by the Governor and applies only to adoptions finalized after
that date.

Passage of this amendment or attempts to narrow the scope of the original H 3775:

  • nullifiy the intent of the original bill
  • creates a two-tiered system of OBC access determined by date of birth
  • cements state discrimination against adoptees
  • leaves thousands of the state’s adoptees without a right to their state-held birth record

Keep Section 3 Clean!

Contact members of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee and the sponsors of the H3775  immediately and tell them to reject the amendment and any other measures designed to gut the original bill.

If you were born and/or adopted in South Carolina, currently live there, or have connections to the state, please include that information with your request.

Bastard Nation is submitting written testimony and will post it after the hearing.

HEARING INFORMATAION

Hearing schedule:  March 20, 2018,  2:30 pm, or one and one-half hours upon adjournment of the House.  Blatt Building, Room 424,  1105 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC  29201

CONTACTS:

Emails can be sent through regular addys or through the template available on individual House member pages. We have collected as many individual addresses as we could, but a few could not be found. We have indicated on the contact list below which should be sent through individual templates.

South Carolina House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee

Leon Howard, Chairman

Anne Parks, 1st V.C.

Jonathan D. Hill, 2nd V.C.

  • Business Phone (803) 212-6919
  • Email: Jhill9693@gmail.com

Wendell G. Gilliard, 3rd V.C.

Katherine E. “Katie” Arrington

Bruce M  Bryant

  • Business Phone  803-212-6888
  • Email:  Template

Wendy Brawley

  • Business Phone  803-212-6961
  • Email:  Template

Neal Collins

Christopher R. “Chris” Hart

  • Business Phone (803) 734-3061
  • Email: Template

Rosalyn D Henderson-Myers

  • Business Phone 803-212-6965
  • Twitter:  @RepRosHM
  • Email:   votehendersonmyers@gmail.com

Nancy Mace

  • Business Phone  803-212-6717
  • Email:  nancy@nancymace.org

Timothy McGinnis

  • Business Phone:  803-212-6935
  • Email:  Template

Marvin Pendarvis

  • Business Office  803-212-6716
  • Twitter:  @Rep_Pendarvis
  • Email:  info@marvinpendarvis.com

Robert L. Ridgeway, III

*Michael F. Rivers, Sr.

Leola C. Robinson-Simpson

Ivory Torrey Thigpen

  • Business Phone (803) 212-6794
  • Twitter: @IvoryThigpen
  • Email: ivorythigpen79@gmail.com

 

Cut & Paste Email String 

LH@schouse.gov, anneparks@schouse.gov,  JHill9693@gmail.com,WendellGilliard@schouse.gov,  collins.neal@gmail.com,  votehendersonmyers@gmail.com, nancy@nancymace.org,  info@marvinpendarvis.com, RobertRidgeway@schouse.gov,  leolarobinsonsimpson@schouse.gov, ivorythigpen79@gmail.com

H 3775 Sponsors

(Sponsors Thigpen and Ridgeway are on the committee above)

Gilda Cobb-Hunter

Gregory “Greg”  Delleney

MaryGail Douglas

Raye Felder

Patricia “Pat” Moore Henegan

Jeffrey E “Jeff” Johnson 

  • Business Phone:  803 212-6946
  • Email:  Template

Patsy Knight

Joseph A “Joe” McEachern

Michael Pitts

J Todd Rutherford

J Gary Simrill

J  E Smith, Jr

  • Business Phone: 803 734-2997
  • Email: Template

John Taliaferro West

  • Business Phone: 803- 212-6954
  • Email:  Template

William W “Will” Wheeler

  • Business Phone:  803- 212-6958
  • Email:  Template

Robert O Williams

Cut & Paste Email String: 

gildacobbhunter@schouse.gov, gregdelleney@schouse.gov,  marygaildouglas@schouse.gov, rayefelder@schouse.gov,  PatriciaHenegan@schouse.gov, patsyknight@schouse.gov, joemceachern@schouse.gov, mikepitts@schouse.gov,  toddrutherford@schouse.gov, garysimrill@schouse.gov,  robertwilliams@schouse.gov

TWEETS

Committee

@karringtonsc @Rep_Pendarvis, @collins_neal  H3775 Adoptee birth certs.  Please vote DO PASS on original bill; Keep Sec. 3 clean. DO NOT PASS  amendments that gut bill  #AdopteeRights

@IvoryThigpen @RepRosHM  Please vote DO PASS on original bill; Keep Sec. 3 clean. DO NOT PASS  amendments that gut bill #AdopteeRights

H3775  Sponsors

@GCobbHunter @FortMillRaye @RepMikePitts Please vote DO PASS on original bill; Keep Sec. 3 clean. DO NOT PASS  amendments that gut bill #AdopteeRights

@RepRutherford, @garysimrill Please vote DO PASS on original bill; Keep Sec. 3 clean. DO NOT PASS  amendments that gut bill #AdopteeRights

 

Bastard Nation  Phone 614-641-0294

www.bastards.org

@BastardsUnite

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