Letter to New York State legislators on proposed changes to vital records access

31 January 2025

The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) has submitted a letter to New York State senators and legislators in strong opposition to proposed legislation that would close off the state’s access to historical birth, marriage, and death records (vital records). APG urges the [NY] Legislature to reject this harmful legislation, whose sole proponent is an agency with an agenda that appears to be evading records access.

Read APG's full letter to NY Senators here. 

While Part U of the Proposed Health Legislation Budget purports to “Digitize Genealogical Records” and “streamline operations,” the bill text does not support those objectives; instead, it will essentially prohibit research of 20th-century New Yorkers with the sole goal of reducing the Bureau of Vital Records’ (BVR’s) workload. Without access to these records, our members would be severely hindered in their abilities to run their small businesses, and our thousands of clients with New York roots will be impeded in their ability to uncover their heritage and medical histories.