Texas SB1877 Deserves a Senate Vote

ACTION NEEDED: Two actions are needed. First, call the office of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to request SB1877 be moved out of committee and to the Senate for a vote. Second, contact Texas state senators to support SB1877 and request a vote on the bill. Details are below.

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 as part of the National Week of Action for Adoptee Rights.

We are asking you to complete two separate actions over the course of 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. During the week we will also ask you to contact Texas state senators to request support of SB1877 in committee and on the Senate floor.

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.

Take Additional Actions: 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.

Find My Senator

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

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.

Name
Address/Organization (if any)

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	Email
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

Arizona. Arizona implemented a "donut hole" provision in a new law, which became effective on January 1, 2022. It allows only some adoptees to request the OBC--- based on their date of birth---but denies the right to obtain the OBC to the vast majority of Arizona-born adopted people. Read more.

Arkansas.While Arkansas law allows adult adoptees to request their adoption files, the request is subject to a birthparent's ability to redact their names on the original birth certificates. A FAQ with information about the law and its requirements and discriminatory limitations is here.

California. Adult adoptees do not have a right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, except by court order. Adoptees must petition the court and show “good and compelling cause” in order to obtain a copy of their own original birth record. Read more.

12 UNRESTRICTED
21 COMPROMISED
18 RESTRICTED
51 VIEW ALL
What do these mean? Some maps and an explanation.