http://www.fgs.org/rpac/2008/02/10/new-jersey-vital-records-bill/ A joint committee of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:12:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.fgs.org/rpac/2008/02/10/new-jersey-vital-records-bill/#comment-1261 Randy B. Rauscher Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:20:17 +0000 http://www.fgs.org/rpac/?p=22#comment-1261 The RPAC website states: “[This bill] keeps the same guidelines for genealogical (non-certified) copies: available 80 years after a birth, 50 years after a marriage, and 40 years after a death.”
However, I believe that the most recent version of this bill (Second Reprint as amended by the General Assembly on March 13, 2008) makes the guidelines more restrictive. The current version of A326 on the NJ legislative website, talks about 100 years after a birth.
Further, the RPAC website states that the implications of A326 on genealogists are yet unclear. My interpretation of the current A326 document does show some potenial impact already. This bill:
1) Will require prior approval by the State Registrar to inspect records, and
2) Proposes only visual inspection of a records and will prohibit the copying of documents
From what I understand, the purpose of A326 is to help prevent identity theft as it pertains to Homeland Security. But, there are other means of obtaining the information necessary to steal identities. On the other hand, the A326 restrictions do add new hurdles for genealogists.
It seems that A326 is now on a fast track in the NJ legislature. We need to quickly understand the impact on genealogical work in New Jersey.

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