ACTION NEEDED TODAY: Call Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Call and Email Texas State Senators.
We are asking you to complete two separate actions this week. First, call Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who controls how Senate bills move out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote. Second, contact Texas state senators to request support of SB1877 in committee and on the Senate floor if it comes to the floor for a vote.
Background: HB1386/SB1877 are identical and straightforward bills that restore the right of all Texas-born adopted people to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. HB1386 already passed the Texas House by an overwhelming vote of 144-1. SB1877 is still in the Committee on Jurisprudence. Action is needed to get the legislation out of the Senate committee and to the Senate floor for a vote. The Texas legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 31, so urgent action is needed today. Please take action for TXARC and our allies and as a participant in the National Week of Action for Adoptee Rights. Please read on.
1. Call Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
We need you to call the office of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at (512) 463-0001. You can usually leave a voice mail or message with his office. A sample message can be simple: you support SB1877 and you request that his office work to move the bill out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote. You can leave your name, any organization you may represent, and your address or zip code. You can also tell his office how you are connected to adoption. Be clear that you support SB1877 and that it deserves a vote. Because we have the votes.
Again, his phone number is (512) 463-0001. You can also send a message through his office’s contact page.
2. Contact Senators
1: Find Your Senator
You can find your state senator’s name and district by clicking on the button below. If you already know who your senator is or if you are not a Texas resident, skip to Step 2.
2: Get Contact Info
Look up the contact information for your senator below, both phone and email. If you are not a Texas resident, then use the plain-text list of emails below (copy and paste them into your email application).
3: Contact Your Senator
Send an email and call to say three things: 1) who you are, especially if you are a constituent, an adoptee, or connected to adoption; 2) directly ask the senator to support SB1877 and to sign on to the bill as a co-author; and 3) ask the senator to get back to you with his or her position on the bill. Sample messages are listed immediately below.
Sample/Suggested Messages
IF YOU ARE A TEXAS RESIDENT/VOTER
I am your constituent and live in [city/town/county]. I am contacting you to ask that you support SB1877 and to sign on as a co-author on the bill, which restores the right of all Texas-born adoptees to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The bill has overwhelming support and enough votes to pass in the Senate. It has already passed the House 144-1. If SB1877 or the companion HB1386 comes before the you for a vote, please vote YES on the bill.
This is an important issue to me and my family. I would appreciate your office getting back to me to let me know your position on SB1877 and whether you will agree to sign on as a co-author.
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Address/Organization (if any)
IF YOU ARE NOT A TEXAS RESIDENT/VOTER
I am [an adoptee, birth parent, adoptive parent, connected to adoption]. I am contacting you to ask that you support SB1877 and to sign on as a co-author on the bill, which restores the right of all Texas-born adoptees to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The bill has overwhelming support and enough votes to pass in the Senate. It has already passed the House 144-1. If SB1877 or HB1386 comes before you for a vote, please vote YES on the bill.
This is an important issue to me and my family. I would appreciate your office getting back to me to let me know your position on SB1877 and whether you will agree to sign on as a co-author.
Name
Address/Organization (if any)
Texas State Senators
Emails and phone numbers for the 31 Texas state senators. Senators marked with an * are current authors or co-authors of SB1877. A plain-text list of all emails, which can be copied and pasted into your email application, is below.
| Senator | Phone | |
| Carol Alvarado | (512) 463-0106 | [email protected] |
| Paul Bettencourt | (512) 463-0107 | [email protected] |
| Brian Birdwell | (512) 463-0122 | [email protected] |
| Cesar Blanco | (512) 463-0129 | [email protected] |
| Dawn Buckingham | (512) 463-0124 | [email protected] |
| Donna Campbell | (512) 463-0125 | [email protected] |
| Brandon Creighton | (512) 463-0104 | [email protected] |
| Sarah Eckhardt | (512) 463-0114 | [email protected] |
| Roland Gutierrez | (512) 463-0100 | [email protected] |
| Bob Hall | (512) 463-0102 | [email protected] |
| Kelly Hancock | (512) 463-0109 | [email protected] |
| Chuy Hinojosa | (512) 463-0120 | [email protected] |
| Joan Huffman | (512) 463-0117 | [email protected] |
| Bryan Hughes | (512) 463-0101 | [email protected] |
| Nathan Johnson* | (512) 463-0116 | [email protected] |
| Lois W. Kolkhorst | (512) 463-0118 | [email protected] |
| Eduardo A. (Eddie) Lucio, Jr. | (512) 463-0127 | [email protected] |
| José Menéndez | (512) 463-0126 | [email protected] |
| Borris L. Miles | (512) 463-0113 | [email protected] |
| Jane Nelson | (512) 463-0112 | [email protected] |
| Robert Nichols | (512) 463-0103 | [email protected] |
| Angela Paxton | (512) 463-0108 | [email protected] |
| Charles Perry | (512) 463-0128 | [email protected] |
| Beverly Powell | (512) 463-0110 | [email protected] |
| Charles Schwertner | (512) 463-0105 | [email protected] |
| Kel Seliger | (512) 463-0131 | [email protected] |
| Drew Springer | (512) 463-0130 | [email protected] |
| Larry Taylor | (512) 463-0111 | [email protected] |
| Royce West | (512) 463-0123 | [email protected] |
| John Whitmire | (512) 463-0115 | [email protected] |
| Judith Zaffirini | (512) 463-0121 | [email protected] |
Plain Text Emails
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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.