We need your help in the Texas State House of Representatives right away, especially if you are a current Texas resident or an adoptee connected to Texas by birth or adoption.
While we need your written testimony, you will likely need our help to get it where it needs to go. If you are ready to pitch in right away without much instruction, hit the button below and you’ll get additional information and guidance. If you want more context about the hearings and how the hearing process currently works, keep on reading.
Current Public Hearing
The House bill—HB1386—has a public hearing on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The Senate bill, SB1877, was only recently filed and has not yet been scheduled for hearing. Because COVID-19 restrictions and time constraints will limit in-person testimony this session, written testimony will be key. And we will need that testimony submitted no later than Tuesday, March 16.
Written Testimony
Legislative rules generally require that testimony be in written form or presented in person at the hearings. The committee also prefers written testimony be submitted in packets, with testimony collected by a single organization and submitted together. This is where we come in. But you first.
Please write a brief (no more than one page) statement indicating strong support for HB1386. The statement will be given to the House Public Health committee through Shawna Hodgson, spokesperson for the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition. She will arrange to have all written testimony submitted properly to the committee.
What to Stress
Here’s what to stress in your testimony:
- Explain who you are, your connection to adoption, and any organization you may represent;
- Explain why you believe adoptees at age 18 should be provided, upon request, a copy of their own original birth certificates;
- Avoid using arguments that stress search and contact with a birth relative or raise health concerns that you may have. Focus on why providing the OBC is a matter of civil rights, dignity, and equality.
- If you have had experience with DNA, explain how that worked, especially if it made information about the adoption much more widespread than simply obtaining a birth record (and especially if you were the adoptee or birthparent).
- Respectfully ask that members of the Committees vote Yes on the bill and recommend passage of HB1386.
Submitting Testimony
We’ve made it easy to submit testimony to the committee. Simply click on the button below, fill in your basic contact information, and write your statement in the space we provide (or copy and paste it from your own document). You can also upload a PDF of your statement directly. We’ll make sure the testimony is addressed properly to the committee and is submitted on time, so long as we receive it by noon on Tuesday, March 16. That’s it. Your action now will be key to securing equality for all Texas-born adoptees tomorrow.