Friends of “CLEAN” adoption reform,
With your help, the “clean” bill of adoptee rights, for the new session, has been introduced in the New York Senate (S3419)! We await the companion bill number in the Assembly and will advise soon! See below for our first calls to action!
We continue to thank you for your ongoing support of our human and civil rights appeal. Including you, we count 7,000+ petition supporters and rising—please keep sharing!
CURRENT APPEAL / BILL STATUS (S3419):
The bill:
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=S03419&term=2019
Features include:
- Restores unrestricted access to original birth certificates (OBC) for all New York adult adoptees!
- Support for the general health and well-being of adoptees!
- OBC access for direct line descendants, or legal representatives, if the adoptee is deceased
- OBC access for legal representatives of adoptees
- Clarifying term “commissioner” to ensure all adult adoptees will be able to complete an OBC request
Senate sponsor: Senator Velmanette Montgomery (S3419)
Assembly sponsor: Assemblymember David Weprin (bill number tbd)
Senate status: Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, Chaired by Senator James Skoufis who has been a consistent supporter of “clean” reform!
We thank all our petition supporters and The American Adoption Congress, where Tim also serves, for ongoing encouragement as we crafted amendments! Check out, join and support the AAC!
www.americanadoptioncongress.org
SENATE CALLS TO ACTION!
1. POLITELY APPEAL FOR SENATE COSPONSORS (Write all!):
To determine your local district Senator:
https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator
Potential NY SENATE cosponsors FULL e-mail database (TO COPY and PASTE / suggest blind carbon copy):
addabbo@nysenate.gov, akshar@nysenate.gov, amedore@nysenate.gov, antonacci@nysenate.gov, bailey@nysenate.gov, bbenjamin@nysenate.gov, biaggi@nysenate.gov, pboyle@nysenate.gov, breslin@nysenate.gov, brooks@nysenate.gov, carlucci@nysenate.gov, comrie@nysenate.gov, felder@nysenate.gov, flanagan@nysenate.gov, Funke@nysenate.gov, gallivan@nysenate.gov, gaughran@nysenate.gov, gianaris@nysenate.gov, gounardes@nysenate.gov, griffo@nysenate.gov, harckham@nysenate.gov, helming@nysenate.gov, hoylman@nysenate.gov, jackson@nysenate.gov, jacobs@nysenate.gov, jordan@nysenate.gov, kaminsky@nysenate.gov, kaplan@nysenate.gov, kavanagh@nysenate.gov, kennedy@nysenate.gov, lkrueger@nysenate.gov, lanza@nysenate.gov, lavalle@nysenate.gov, little@nysenate.gov, liu@nysenate.gov, martinez@nysenate.gov, may@nysenate.gov, smayer@nysenate.gov, metzger@nysenate.gov, myrie@nysenate.gov, omara@nysenate.gov, Ortt@nysenate.gov, parker@nysenate.gov, persaud@nysenate.gov, ramos@nysenate.gov, ranz@nysenate.gov, ritchie@nysenate.gov, grivera@nysenate.gov, robach@nysenate.gov, salazar@nysenate.gov, sanders@nysenate.gov, Savino@nysenate.gov, sepulveda@nysenate.gov, Serino@nysenate.gov, serrano@nysenate.gov, seward@nysenate.gov, skoufis@nysenate.gov, stavisky@nysenate.gov, scousins@nysenate.gov, tedisco@nysenate.gov, thomas@nysenate.gov, cyoung@nysenate.gov
SUGGESTED EMAIL TITLE:
Please cosponsor “clean” adoptee rights (S3419)
SUGGESTED NOTE AND /OR PHONE SCRIPT (ADD YOUR STORY IF WRITING!):
“Hello. My name is ________ and I am contacting you from ________ [NOTE IF A CONSTITUENT!]. I am one of over seven thousand supporters of the “Citizens Petition to Advance the ‘Clean’ Adoption Reform Bill” ( https://www.change.org/p/advance-clean-ny-bill-of-adoptee-rights ). I am writing to ask that you add your name as a cosponsor of S3419 which will, as intended in the legislature, restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees. Last year, on June 5th, the Assembly Health Committee again voted overwhelmingly in favor of “clean” adoption reform, in accordance with best practices in adoption. Now, it’s time to honor adoptee human and civil rights by making S3419 the law. Our rapidly growing cause is supported by the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) just to name a few. Now, with S3419, we can get it right and make it equal. Thank you for your consideration!
2. THANK SENATOR MONTGOMERY FOR SPONSORING S3419 TO RESTORE ADOPTEE HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS!
montgome@nysenate.gov
(518) 455-3451
(718) 643-6140
Contact Tim with outreach updates or news you’d like to share!
tmw713@gmail.com
NEXT STEPS INCLUDE:
1. Confirm Assembly companion bill number!
2. More calls to action (stay tuned)!
3. Coordination with our sponsors and allied advocates
4. Advise of any possible technical amendments
Together, we will continue to fight to restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees.
We thank supporter, and adoptee, Sarah for our new petition logo! Check it out at our main page here:
https://www.change.org/p/advance-clean-ny-bill-of-adoptee-rights
Adoptee rights = human rights = civil rights!
Tim, Doris and Jennifer
This petition news update is offered in memory of James Bernstein.