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Committee forwards bill to give adult adoptees access to original birth records
Summary
House Bill 47, which would allow older adoptees access to their original birth records, cleared the committee on a 12‑3 vote after testimony from adoptees, advocates and lawmakers weighing privacy concerns for birth parents against adoptees' interest in their medical and family histories.
House Bill 47, which would allow adoptees to request original birth certificates and related records, was sent to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation after lawmakers debated privacy protections for birth parents and heard emotional testimony from adoptees and advocates.
Representative Barbara Ehart (presenting through Representative Marco Erickson in the hearing) told the committee the bill extends access for older adoptees to the same records currently available to more recent adoptees, and that the change would affect a small percentage of adoptees. "This legislation gives older adoptees the same access that current adoptees have," Ehart…
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