Legislative alert –
Several bills are currently pending that would severely limit, or entirely eliminate, public access to the Death Master File, Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The House Ways and Means Committee has a hearing scheduled for this Thursday and is accepting written testimony through Tuesday, February 16, 2012. http://www.forensicgenealogists.com/Resources.html
Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG) is reaching out to our colleagues in the information community, legal community, and to title companies and landsmen who rely upon access to this irreplaceable research resource. SSDI is used in quiet title, lis pendens and other cases to identify/confirm deaths.
If closure of this public record is successful, there will be greater momentum to close public access to birth and death records for 100 years and marriage and divorce records for 70 years. Access to SSDI and other public records is vital to our work in the judicial system and the commerce of title companies and landsmen. Voices are needed from many professional and commercial fields. Please join Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy in expressing to legislators our need for access to the SSDI and other public records.