| 1 | 1 | | 88R17160 BPG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Harris of Anderson H.R. No. 564 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Allied organizations are gathering at the State |
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| 7 | 7 | | Capitol on March 21, 2023, to advocate for the right of adopted |
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| 8 | 8 | | adults to access their original birth certificates; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Under current Texas law, a child's original birth |
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| 10 | 10 | | certificate is sealed when he or she is adopted; at the age of 18, |
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| 11 | 11 | | adoptees may apply for their birth certificate, and if they know the |
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| 12 | 12 | | identity of the parents named on that document, the vital |
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| 13 | 13 | | statistics unit must release a noncertified copy; however, adoptees |
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| 14 | 14 | | who do not know the names of their birth parents are required to |
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| 15 | 15 | | petition for access in court in the county that granted the |
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| 16 | 16 | | adoption, showing "good cause," a term that the law does not define; |
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| 17 | 17 | | and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Concealment of true parentage is an unfortunate |
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| 19 | 19 | | vestige of another era; barriers to obtaining the original birth |
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| 20 | 20 | | certificate deprive adoptees of vital information about their |
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| 21 | 21 | | personal identity, and the lack of transparency denies family |
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| 22 | 22 | | medical histories that could indicate the nature of health issues |
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| 23 | 23 | | or warn of the need for preventative care; the right to such |
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| 24 | 24 | | information is broadly understood, and a 2021 poll by Baselice & |
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| 25 | 25 | | Associates showed that 77 percent of Texans believe that adult |
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| 26 | 26 | | adoptees should have the same access to their original birth |
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| 27 | 27 | | certificates that all other adult Texans have; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Dedicated to ending the inequitable treatment of |
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| 29 | 29 | | adult adoptees who do not know the identity of their birth parents, |
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| 30 | 30 | | allied groups are registering their support of House Bill 2006; the |
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| 31 | 31 | | bill grants all adult adoptees the right to access their original |
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| 32 | 32 | | birth certificates, and it incorporates provisions that represent |
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| 33 | 33 | | the interests of adult adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive |
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| 34 | 34 | | parents alike; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, the inability to access an original |
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| 36 | 36 | | birth certificate has been the source of much heartbreak and |
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| 37 | 37 | | confusion, and the organizations and individuals working |
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| 38 | 38 | | tirelessly for a solution have demonstrated a commendable |
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| 39 | 39 | | commitment to honesty, justice, and equality for adult adoptees; |
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| 40 | 40 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature hereby recognize March 21, 2023, as Texas Adoptee |
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| 43 | 43 | | Rights Day at the State Capitol. |
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