Every year since I started blogging genealogy there has been a post about PaHR-Access. This didn't happen by accident. I am very interested in helping this movement and am requesting that you read about it, inform your friends and take action.
Please visit this website to learn the issues and how to help.
http://users.rcn.com/timarg/PaHR-Access
It is a new session in PA (2011-2012). The bill to make vital records open to the public was about to be voted on last year, but with a new session we must start over. Since 2007 PaHR-Access has been working as a grassroots organization made up of volunteers like you who find out the issue and write to PA representatives asking for their support.
The main goal is to get death certificates 50 years old to become public record so genealogists like us can use them to trace our tree. Currently they are possible to order, but there are no public indexes, and you are not permitted to expedite genealogical searches. The people who do the searches are government employees and not interested genealogists. If they "don't find" them they will simply keep your money and send you a letter months later saying it couldn't be found. If you want to try again you have to send more money.
They get $11 per request....the state of PA is not going to give up that revenue and put it for free on line. Not only that it takes weeks to months just to get your certificates.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds good in theory and I would love to see it, but I do not think it will happen.