Friends of “clean” adoption reform,
Because of you, adoptee human and civil rights won the New York Senate today in a spectacular, bipartisan, historic floor vote! The unofficial tally appears to be 53 – 6 in favor of S3419! Work to do! Politely call 518-455-3791 and/or write Speaker@nyassembly.gov Please tell Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie that you support A5494 and “clean” adoption reform and he must bring it to an Assembly floor vote! Also, read and share Tim’s Newsday op-ed piece which features our petition!
STATUS:
A5494:
• Passed Assembly Health on 4/30
• Now in Assembly Codes Committee
• Assembly Speaker Heastie call to action details below! If the bill passes in the New York Assembly Codes Committee, and/or on the Assembly floor, it will advance to Governor Cuomo to be singed into law!!! A "CLEAN" Law of Adoptee Rights!!!
S3419:
• Passed Senate Health 5/14!
• Passed Senate 6/3 in historic floor vote!!!
Media update (read and share!):
• Newsday op-ed, New York adoptees deserve equality, by Tim Monti-Wohlpart on 6/3/19
CALL TO ACTION FOR ASSEMBLY SPEAKER HEASTIE!
Carl Heastie, New York Assembly Speaker
518-455-3791 or 718-654-6539
Two ways to determine if you live in Speaker Heastie’s Bronx district:
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Carl-E-Heastie/map/
SUGGESTED EMAIL TITLE (if you write):
Speaker Heastie: Please advance “clean” adoptee rights (A5494)
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 eight thousand three hundred supporters of the “Citizens Petition to Advance the ‘Clean’ Adoption Reform Bill.”
( https://www.change.org/p/advance-clean-ny-bill-of-adoptee-rights ), which was included in two important pieces this session:
• Newsday June 3rd op-ed: New York adoptees deserve equality
https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/new-york-adoptees-1.31804876
• Mother Jones March 13th investigative piece: Most American Adoptees Can’t Access Their Birth Certificates. That Could Soon Change.
We respectfully ask you to advance Assemblymember Weprin’s sponsored bill, A5494, through the Codes Committee and on to an Assembly floor vote. The Senate companion bill, S3419, just passed overwhelmingly via the historic floor vote which took place there.
The Assembly bill has many supporters: Over 90 cosponsors, including 72 Democrats and counting. Also, 15 of the 22 Codes Committee members are named supporters of the bill. This vital proposal will, as intended in the legislature, restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees. It is the result of a Department of Health workgroup which took place last year.
Now, it’s time for the New York Assembly to bring A5494 to a floor vote. We will restore and honor adoptee human and civil rights by making A5494 / 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.
Adoptee rights are human rights. Adoptee rights are civil rights. With A5494 / S3419 we can get right and make it equal.
Thank you for your consideration!
Contact Tim with outreach updates or news you’d like to share! tmw713@gmail.com
We continue to thank:
- You—Today we made history with the first ever New York Senate floor vote for “clean” adoption reform!! Thank you for your ongoing support of our human and civil rights appeal. Including you, we count 8,300+ petition supporters and rising—please keep sharing!
- Sponsors Assemblymember Weprin (A5494) and Senator Montgomery (S3419). And over 100 legislative cosponsors!
- Allied advocates from the New York Adoptee Rights Coalition (NYARC) and New York Statewide Adoption Reform
- The American Adoption Congress, where Tim also serves, for encouragement as the session proceeds. Check out, join and support the AAC!
LET'S KEEP GOING!!!!
Our New York legislative session is slated to continue until June 19th.
Adoptee rights are human rights!
Adoptee rights are civil rights!
Adoptee rights will again be New York rights!
Stay tuned for further updates and calls to action!
Tim, Doris and Jennifer