Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee advances SB 381 to give adult adoptees access to original birth certificates amid privacy debate
Summary
The Senate Health Committee advanced SB 381 to allow adult adoptees (18+) to request original birth certificates and create a contact-preference form; supporters cited health and identity benefits, while some senators urged more protections and clarified implementation steps before full release.
The Senate Health Committee voted to advance SB 381, a bill that would permit adult adoptees to request their original birth certificates (OBCs) and require the state registrar to make a contact-preference form available in advance of full implementation.
The bill's author told the committee she accepted suggested amendments and described the measure as narrow: it would authorize disclosure of an OBC to an adopted person or a descendant who is 18 or older, establish a process to request an OBC from the county or state registrar, and require the state registrar to create a nonbinding contact-preference form for birth parents.
Wendy Turk, sponsor and executive of the California Alliance for Adoptee Rights, testified about…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
