Please forgive the multiple postings.

I am not a resident of  Virginia, so I doubt my 2 cents would count in the State
Legislature. Virginia, I feel is the state that would suffer the most in regards to
historic records being destroyed; although any state that destroys records outright without
any system of checks and balances will ultimately suffer. The people making and imposing
these laws are certainly not concerned with the needs of us genealogists. We have no voice,
no lobby, no deep pocket political contributors. This is a state money consideration and
perhaps they are honestly unaware of the ramifications of this Bill on us. Virginia has
been financially mismanaged and is in catch-up mode, cutting anything and everything the
constituency will permit or roll over for.

Granted, they cannot logically store these in perpetuity.  Perhaps the only way to stem the
total unchecked expulsion of wills, is for VA residents to mount an effort to force your
legislators to append this Bill to, at minimum; require sufficient and advance notification
to local libraries, historical societies, etc., in regards to the condemned records. At
best, the Bill can be appended to force them to do that along with the mandatory posting of
names of those set for expulsion on the State website. They're going to pass this anyway,
so why not try and get out of it what can be had?

You're going to have to act and act immediately. This means all of you enmasse, inundating
your local and state representatives with letters, emails, and phone calls, and all of the
above. You cannot let up, nor can you just assume that your neighbor will do this while you
sit idly by. YOU must do it! You must pick up the phone. You, the Virginian  must become
personally proactive. Monday morning.You have all weekend to work on it.

If it is out of Committee, it is at a vulnerable stage. Your legislators can force it back
to Committee only by your loud and continual protests and maybe even have it tabled until
session 2004; giving you time to organize and do some real lobbying in the meantime.

Just the thoughts of someone who has been in the legislative trenches,
Debra
GenExchange County Coordinator, City of Williamsburg
http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?State=va&County=williamsburg

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