Planning and Development Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-6105
AN ACT CONCERNING ACCESS TO ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATES BY
Title: ADULT ADOPTED PERSONS.
Vote Date: 3/2/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable
PH Date: 2/3/2021
File No.: 49
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Rep. Michael A. Winkler, 56th Dist.
Rep Jason Doucette, 13th Dist.
Rep Kenneth M Gucker, 138th Dist.
Rep. Anne M. Hughes, 135th Dist.
Sen Saud Anwar, 3rd Dist.
Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, 133rd Dist.
Sen Catherine A. Osten, 19th Dist.
Rep. Gary A, Turco, 27th Dist.
Rep. Josh Elliott, 88th Dist.
Rep. Jill Barry, 31st Dist.
Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, 17th Dist.
Rep. Kara Rochelle, 104th Dist.
Rep. David Michel, 146th Dist.
Rep. Frank Smith, 118th Dist.
Rep. Edwin Vargas, 6th Dist.
Rep. John-Michael Parker, 101st Dist.
Rep. Gregory Haddad, 54th Dist.
Sen. Derek Slap, 5th Dist.
Rep. Kate Farrar, 20th Dist.
Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, 85th Dist.
Rep Christine Palm, 36th Dist.
Rep Aimee Berger Girvalo, 111th Dist.
Sen Rick Lopes, 6th Dist.
Rep. John K. Hampton, 16th Dist.
REASONS FOR BILL:
To grant access to original birth records to all adopted persons eighteen years of age or older
who were born in Connecticut regardless of date of birth.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
N/A
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Paul Acker supports the bill because it answers common questions of adoptees later in
life.
Elizabeth Adams, LCSW supports the bill because it lessens the stigma of adoption.
Mark H. Bernacki, New Britain Town & City Clerk and Legislative Chair of Connecticut
Town Clerks Association supports the bill and also states that this bill won't affect the
original town records.
Mary Boo, Executive Director of NACAC supports the bill because the North American
Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) believe that every adopted person has the right to
receive information about their own birth.
Karen Caffrey, Co-President of Access Connecticut, Now, Inc. supports the bill
because it provides family medical history, ability to know about and participate in their
biological heritage, family history, the ability to prove their heritage to establish citizenship in
different countries, and easies the psychological toll of being discriminated against.
Emily Canibano supports the bill because it answers questions about family history.
Catholic Mothers for Truth and Transparency supports the bill because all adult adopted
persons should be treated equally under the law.
Andrew M. Cislo, PhD supports the bill because he believes that having a birth certificate
is a birthright.
Connecticut State Medical Society supports the bill because it provides adoptee with a
proper family medical history.
Connecticut Chapter, National Organization for Women support the bill because it puts
women as a part of an oppressive system which denies women choice over their right to
parent
Margaret Doherty, Executive Director of Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive
Families supports the bill because they support the equity of rights for all adopted adults to
be able to access their original birth certificates.
Beth Finchler supports the bill because she finds it very important for people to know their
family origins and family medical history.
Page 2 of 4 HB-6105
Kathy Flaherty - supports the bill because it provides an easier way to find members of their
birth family.
Carolyn Goodridge supports the bill because she claims that it is a basic human right to
know their own identity.
Kimberly Kerstetter supports the bill because a birth certificate answers countless
questions of adult adoptees.
Carrie Koffman- supports this bill because she believes everyone should know where they
come from and their personal family's entire history.
Mandy Krahenbuhl, President, Concerned United Birthparents, Inc. supports the bill
because she claims that the vast majority of birthparents want to be reunited with their adult
children and that an adult adoptee's right to their birth certificate is absolute.
Stephen McNally- supports the bill because it gives adult adoptee's the opportunity to
receive dual citizenship in certain situations.
Eilleen McQuade supports the bill because as a birthmother, she doesn't want to deprive
her birth child of important family information.
Tim Monti-Wohlpart- supports the bill because it removes date- based restrictions, restores
unrestricted access, allow for non-binding contact preferences.
Susan Myers, President, Connecticut Council on Adoption supports this bill because it
restores the right of adopted persons to receive their original birth certificates.
Stephen Wanczyk- Karp, Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers-
supports this bill because of the psychological toll of not knowing family medical history can
be immensely stressful for adult adoptees.
Elizabeth J Samuels, Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Baltimore School of
Law- supports this bill because there is not guaranteed anonymity for birth parents, at the
time birth parents didnt get the choice to surrender documents, birth mothers may not want
complete anonymity any more, records were closed to protect adoptive families, and
restoring access for adoptee's has proved beneficial in the past.
Desiree Stephens- supports this bill because she believes that it is a human and civil right
for every person to know their biological origins and also states that both adoptee's and non-
adoptee's deserve equal protection under the law.
Karen Wilson-Buterbaugh, Founder, Baby Scoop Era Research Initiative- supports this
because of the toll that it takes on the adoptees.
Cynthia Wolfe-Boynton, President, Connecticut NOW supports this because she
believes that currently the withholding of documents for the birth mother's "protection" puts
women in place as a part of an oppressive system.
Page 3 of 4 HB-6105
Women's Organizations support this bill because the current law was an effort to silence
and marginalize women, instead of what it claimed to be doing which was protecting them.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
Tiffany Tubby- opposes this bill because she claims birth mothers were guaranteed
anonymity and the possibility that this can bring up traumatic experiences from birth mother's
pasts.
Deacon David Reynolds, Associate Director for Public Policy, Connecticut Catholic
Public Affairs Conference opposes this bill because it would deny the privacy and
confidentiality expected and it can also damage current families.
Reported by: Christopher Peritore Date: 3/15/2021
Page 4 of 4 HB-6105


Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 7-53a
PD Joint Favorable: 7-53a
File No. 49: 7-53a
File No. 630: 7-53a
Public Act No. 21-21: 7-53a