BASTARD NATION ACTION ALERT: ILLINOIS HB 5428

IMPORTANT CORRECTION
RE: CONTACT INFO IL HB 5428

Evidently, Illinois does not have any legislative email system. Our colleagues report that every single one of the emails published in our first Action Alert came back as undeliverable. Therefore, the ways to reach an elected official is by phone, FAX, or snail mail. (The latter might work because we are told that the Senate is not reconvening until April 13th.)

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

In an effort to try and spread the word about this bill, you might want to send your letter to some newspapers at the same time. Still one letter – but the string of email addresses is for newspapers around the state. The newspaper info appears under the Senators’ revised contact information.

Senator A. J. Wilhelmi (D)
43rd District
Springfield Office:
Senator 43rd District
311A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-8800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
2200 Weber Road
Crest Hill, IL 60403
(815) 207-4445 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (815) 207-4445 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(815) 207-4446 FAX

8th District
Majority Caucus Whip
Springfield Office:
Senator 8th District
121B Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-5500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-5500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(217) 782-5340 FAX
District Office:
2951 West Devon
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 743-5015 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (773) 743-5015 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(773) 743-4750 FAX

20th District
Springfield Office:
Senator 20th District
413A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8191 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-8191 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
2845 N. Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 463-0720 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (773) 463-0720 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(773) 463-0795 FAX

Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr. (D)
57th District
Senate Majority Leader
Springfield Office:
Senator 57th District
329 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-5399 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-5399 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
Kenneth Hall Regional Office Bldg.
10 Collinsville Ave.
East St. Louis, IL 62201
(618) 875-1212 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (618) 875-1212 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(618) 274-3010 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (618) 274-3010 end_of_the_skype_highlighting FAX

Senator Don Harmon (D)
39th District
Assistant Majority Leader
Springfield Office:
Senator 39th District
329 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8176 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-8176 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
6933 W. North Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 848-2002 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (708) 848-2002 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(708) 848-2022 FAX

Senator Louis S. Viverito (D)
11th District
Majority Caucus Whip
Springfield Office:
Senator 11th District
121A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0054 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-0054 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
6215 W. 79th Street
Suite 1A
Burbank, IL 60459
(708) 430-2510 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (708) 430-2510 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(708) 430-2610 FAX

Senator Dale A. Righter (R)
55th District
Deputy Minority Leader
Springfield Office:
Senator 55th District
309D Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-6674 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-6674 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
88 Broadway Avenue
Suite 1
Mattoon, IL 61938
(217) 235-6033 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 235-6033 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(217) 235-6052 FAX

Senator Kirk W. Dillard (R)
24th District
Springfield Office:
Senator 24th District
103C Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8148 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (217) 782-8148 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
District Office:
One South Cass Avenue
Suite 201
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 969-0990 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (630) 969-0990 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(630) 969-1007 FAX

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

Below is the original action alert, minus the bad contact information.

BASTARD NATION: THE ADOPTEE RIGHTS ORGANIZATION

WWW.BASTARDS.ORG

ACTION ALERT

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED IN ILLINOIS – DO NOT PASS HB 5428

ILLINOIS HB 5428 – DO NOT PASS

We have an urgent situation in Illinois and we need your help. An egregious conditional access bill, HB 5428, sponsored by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chgo), was silently swept through the House of Representatives and is now sitting in the Assignments Committee of the Senate, waiting to be referred to a standing Senate Committee. The chief sponsor of the bill in the Senate is Senator A. J. Wilhelmi (Dem -Joliet). Chief Co-Sponsors are Senator Ira Silverstein (Dem-Chgo) and Senator Iris Y.Mendez (Dem-Chgo)

Please urge the senators to stop HB 5428 in its tracks. Ask them to hold it in committee until an amendment can be worked out that will treat all adoptees equally. 100% of Illinois adoptees must be able to request and receive their original birth certificates, without any restrictions, such as prior parental approval. If that cannot happen, then HB 5428 must be pulled or left to die in the Assignments Committee.

HB 5428 does not treat adopted adults equally.

1) Adoptees whose birth parents file an affidavit of denial of information will either not get their original birth certificate or they will get one with all identifying information redacted.

2) Adoptees born before Jan. 1, 1946 will get their original birth certificate with no strings attached. However, adoptees born after this date must adhere to the criteria set up in the bill which allows a birth parent to file an affidavit of denial that could result in no issuance of a birth certificate or a birth certificate with all identifying information redacted.

3) Sealing the birth records was the state’s way of making sure that no one interferes with the unity of the new, legal family created by adoption. If sealing records were meant to protect birth mothers, then the sealing would take place at the time of relinquishment – not at the time of adoption.

Text of bill:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB5428lv&SessionID=76&GA=96&DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=5428&print=true

Please go to www.IlOpen.org to read more about this bill and see a sample letter.

CONTACT INFORMATION

All you have to do is write just one letter (sample letter at www.ilopen.org). Put one senator’s name on the “to” line. Be sure to say if you reside in Illinois .