jan meisels allen member, rpac iajgs director-at-large chairperson, iajgs public records access...

Jan Meisels AllenMember, RPAC

IAJGS Director-at-large

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

President, Jewish Genealogical Society

of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV)

jan@iajgs.org

Tool Kit

For

State Liaisons

Bills change subjects from what they originally covered when

introduced.

What to do?

Actively monitor and review all future versions of the bill

CA AB 130 (2009)

The bill changed focus from when it was introduced in January 2009 on identity theft to covering marriage records and redaction of mothers’ maiden names similar to existing

law covering birth and death records.

California AB 130 (2009)

First date amended

Removed

Initial language

Final amendments-bill changed three times since it was introduced

How to read changes:

Underlined/italicized words are new

Crossed-out words are those being removed

New language in italics

Removed language underlined

Maine LD 1791

Each State Is Different

Removed language crossed out

New Language underlined

Each State Is Different

You need to know how your state writes legislation

How a bill becomes a law

How To Find Your State’s ?

“How A Bill Becomes A Law”

Google it!www.google.com

CALIFORNIA

New Jersey

Every step on the

“How A Bill Becomes A Law”

is an opportunity to shape the outcome…from the day it is

introduced, the hearings, going to the floor of the legislature, to the

governor’s desk. Take the necessary steps at each opportunity!

Legislation That Effects Access Is Also From

US Congress

US Congress Bills

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html 

How A Bill Becomes A Law: Federal http://www.congresslink.org/Frantzich/index.htm

Lexis/Nexis- short and to the point http://www.lexisnexis.com/help/CU/The_Legislative_Process/How_a_Bill_Becomes_Law.htm

Write a Letter to the Committee(s) Which

Will Hear the Bill

Who do you include?

Committee Chairperson

Committee Members

Author of Bill (may or may not be on the committee hearing the bill)

Committee Staff

If bill is going to governor for signature

Write to governor and legislative aide

How To Find Out Where To Write

Go to www.IAJGS.org and click on Legislation

Then on Legislative WebsitesUS State Legislative websites

US CongressCanadian Parliament and Provincial Websites

(there is a link to the IAJGS website from the RPAC home page)

MODEL LETTER CONT’D

Get To Know Your Local Representatives

All politics are local!

Each State Liaison and others in your society should get to know:

Your local State Representative

Your local State Senator

Your Local Congressperson

Your US Senators

And their staffs!

Your local presence and involvement is key to

success!

We need you to be the eyes and ears for early alerts about the bills.

COALITION-BUILDING

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!REACH OUT!

ARCHIVISTSHISTORIANSLIBRARIANS

LOCAL/STATE PRESSOTHER GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES

RPACOTHER ORGANIZATIONS DEPENDING ON

ISSUES IN BILLS

The coalition members must speak with one voice. Listen to the other points of view to come to a unified position.

Remember each issue is

different!

Future bills may find different members of one coalition on different sides for different bills/issues.

Keep all lines of communication open as you never know whom you will be

coalescing with on the next bill

Contact RPACaccess@fgs.org

We can help!

We need to know early and throughout what is happening