Texas State Representative Gina Calanni issued the following press release to announce the introduction of HB2725.
For Immediate Release
February 28, 2019
Contact: Kiefer Odell, (512) 463-0528
[email protected]
Rep. Calanni: Restoring Rights of Adult Adoptees
Austin, TX — Texas State Rep. Gina Calanni (D – HD 132) has filed House Bill 2725 to restore access of original birth certificates to adult adoptees and to give adopted Texans the fundamental information that only a non-certified birth certificate can provide.
“I am proud to file such necessary legislation,” said Rep. Calanni. “As an adoptee myself I know firsthand the difficulty of not having immediate access to my original birth certificate. Adult adoptees in the state of Texas should not be barred from this basic human right.”
HB 2725 would likely have no fiscal impact to the state, and authorizes a $10 fee to be collected for each certificate. This is equal to the fee charged for any other non-certified original birth certificate. Currently, Texas adoptees must petition the court in which their adoption took place in order to receive their original birth certificate, instead of being automatically given the original certificate like every other Texan. This bill would give adult adoptees access to their original, non-redacted birth certificate.
“We are honored that Representative Calanni has filed the Texas Adoptee Rights bill this session,” said Marci Purcell, President of Texas Adoptee Rights. “We are petitioning the Legislature to refine the current burdensome and discriminatory system. We hope this bill, once law, ushers in an era of truth, transparency, and equality, thus removing the current law’s implications of shame, stigma, and life-long infantilization of adult adoptees in Texas.”
“This bill recognizes that Texas law governing an adult adopted person’s original birth record is inequitable to adult adopted people, and no longer reflects today’s reality, where the genetics and genealogy of humans cannot be kept secret,” said Shawna Hodgson, a spokesperson for the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition and a Texas adoptee rights activist.
Rep. Calanni continued, “This bill is not about reunification— rather, this bill is meant to restore the rights of adult adoptees.”
About State Rep. Gina Calanni: State Representative Gina Calanni represents Texas House District 132 and serves on the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee and the Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee. A native Texan, multi-published author, and single mother of three school-aged boys, Rep. Calanni understands first-hand the challenges facing everyday Texans. Rep. Calanni is serving in the Texas Legislature to ensure every Texan has access to quality public education and affordable healthcare.
The Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition is a coalition of Texas and national organizations working to secure the right of all Texas adult adoptees to obtain their own original birth certificates, without discriminatory restrictions.