New PA Vital Records Law In Effect 13 February 2012

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed bill SB – 361 into law

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett signed Vital Records Bill SB-361 into law on December 15, 2011 as Act 110 of 2011. It goes into effect on February 13^th, 2012. State death records more than 50 years old and birth records more than 105 years old will then be available to all at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg. However, the new law does not require that they be made available online, but now makes it legally possible to do so. We have to be vigilant in making sure the Governor and the State Archives do all they can to make sure the records are made available online and that we don't end up with the very real possibility of foot dragging or empty promises.

Please visit the People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access  (PaHR-Access) completely revised website for more information about this. Be sure to read Frequently Asked Questions for a detailed discussion and in particular When And How Can I Start Looking At These Records? for how these records can be put online at no cost to the taxpayer: http://users.rcn.com/timarg/PaHR-Access.htm

You might also want to read the article “Early Christmas Gift to Pennsylvania Genealogists.”

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