Michigan Adoptee Rights

Advocates and allied organizations supporting equal rights for all adopted people in Michigan

Action Alert

NO on the SAVE Act

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Contact your Michigan Congressional representatives and ask for a NO VOTE on H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act, which will disenfranchise many adopted people of the right to vote, particularly intercountry adoptees who do not have available proof of US citizenship.

About the Issue | Contact Your Representative | Additional Resources

About the Issue

The SAVE Act would require all Americans to prove their US citizenship in order to vote. While the issue of noncitizen voting is rare—and also against the law—the bill nevertheless introduces unnecessarily strict requirements for people to prove their US citizenship in order to vote. In doing so, the bill will hurt millions of people who do not have easily available proof of that citizenship—such as a birth record or a US passport. In particular, it will impact thousands of intercountry adopted people who don’t have passports or certificates of citizenship/naturalization and cannot obtain them easily, quickly, or inexpensively.

Contact Your Michigan House Representative

Contact Your US Representative Today to ask for a NO VOTE on the bill, which may be up for vote soon. If you don’t know who represents you, get that information here.

Contact their office and indicate that you DO NOT support H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act. Tell them that many adopted people already have issues when trying to secure US passports and that intercountry adoptees in particular may not have easily available proof of their US citizenship, despite being adopted by US citizen parents. Here is a sample message, and feel free to personalize it for your own experiences or viewpoint:

I live in [town/city]. I am your constituent. I ask that you vote NO on H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). This bill will not advance free and fair elections. Instead, it will make it harder for people to vote and will disenfranchise millions of people who cannot easily provide proof of US citizenship. This is especially true of intercountry adopted people who are US citizens by operation of law but who have never obtained—or have a lot of trouble getting— a US passport or a Certificate of Citizenship. As an adopted person myself, I ask that you do not disenfranchise thousands of adopted people in my community. Please vote NO on HR 8281, and let me know your position on the bill.

To send an email, click on the Go link next to the contact information. You should receive a contact form that the representative’s office uses (and most forms will ask you to enter your address to verify that you are a constituent). Use that form to provide your opinion on the SAVE Act. Make sure you ask them to vote NO on the bill and also ask them to let you know what their position is on the bill.

Don’t remember who represents you? All of the US Congressional representatives representing Michigan are listed below. Still don’t know who your specific representative is? Get that information here.

RepDistrictPhoneContact
Jack Bergman (R)1(202) 225-4735Go
John R. Moolenaar (R)2(202) 225-3561Go
Hillary J. Scholten (D)3(202) 225-3831Go
Bill Huizenga (R)4(202) 225-4401Go
Tim Walberg (R)5(202) 225-6276Go
Debbie Dingell (D)6(202) 225-3611Go
Tom Barrett (R)7(202) 225-4872Go
Kristen McDonald Rivet (D)8(202) 225-3611Go
Lisa C. McClain (R)9(202) 225-2106Go
John James (R)10(202) 225-4961Go
Haley M. Stevens (D)11(202) 225-8171Go
Rashida Tlaib (D)12(202) 225-5126Go
Shri Thanedar (D)13(202) 225-5802Go

Additional Resources

If you need a more thorough breakdown of H.R. 8281, here are some solid resources.

Action alert for Michigan residents. Coordinated by Adoptee Advocates of Michigan (AAOM) and the Adoptee Rights Law Center.

Take Action Today: Contact Michigan State Senators

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This is an action alert for all adopted people, birth/first parents, adoptive parents, and allies and supporters of all adult adopted people.

We ask that you contact the seven senators on the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee to request a YES VOTE on HB5148/HB5149. The bills are being considered at 12pm EST on February 29, 2024, and it is essential that you do this as soon as possible. For additional background on these equal rights bills, see this post or our hearing packet, which was already submitted to the committee.

Who to Contact

Contact the seven senators on the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee. Their emails are (copy and paste these into your email application)

senschang@senate.michigan.gov
senjirwin@senate.michigan.gov
senrjohnson@senate.michigan.gov
senjrunestad@senate.michigan.gov
senssantana@senate.michigan.gov
sensshink@senate.michigan.gov
senpwojno@senate.michigan.gov

The Email Subject

In the email subject, simply put YES ON HB5148/HB5149.

What to Say (Suggested Language)

Suggested language to use for contacting members of the committee. Modify or add to the email as you prefer, or copy and paste as is. The language below is tailored to specific lived experiences. Make sure you include your name and, if you are in Michigan, your town (or any connection to the state).

Jump to suggested language for an Adult Adoptee | Birth/First Parent | Adoptive Parent | Other/Supporter

Adopted People

Dear Chair Chang and Members of the Committee:

I am an adult adopted person. I join more than 25 state and national organizations, including the Michigan Adoptee Rights Coalition, in support of HB5148/HB5149. It is an equal rights bill that restores the rights of all Michigan-born adult adopted people to possess their own birth records, like any other human. This is important to me and to my family, and I ask that you hear my voice and act on the collective power of all the voices and organizations in support. Please vote YES on the bills in Committee.

Birth/First Parents

Dear Chair Chang and Members of the Committee:

I am a parent of a child surrendered for adoption. I join more than 25 state and national organizations, including Concerned United Birth Parents, First Mother Forum, and Catholic Mothers for Truth and Transparency, in support of HB5148/HB5149. It is a fair, equitable, and common-sense bill that restores the equal rights of all Michigan-born adult adopted people to their own birth records. Parents like me relinquished all rights over our children, and should have no control or any right to restrict their own birth records, especially as adults. I ask that you correct Michigan’s outdated and discriminatory law. Please vote YES on the bills in Committee.

Adoptive Parents

Dear Chair Chang and Members of the Committee:

I am an adoptive parent. I join more than 25 state and national organizations, including the National Center on Adoption and Permanency and the Michigan Confederation for Families and Children, in support of HB5148/HB5149. It is a fair, equitable, and common-sense bill that restores the equal rights of all Michigan-born adult adopted people to their own birth records. Adoptive parents like me strongly support our own adult children in obtaining a single document that is theirs and contains their own identities. I ask that you correct Michigan’s outdated and discriminatory law. Please vote YES on the bills in Committee.

Supporter/Other

Dear Chair Chang and Members of the Committee:

I join hundreds of thousands of people and more than 25 state and national organizations in support of HB5148/HB5149. These are fair, equitable, and common-sense bills that restore the equal rights of all Michigan-born adult adopted people to their own birth records. It is absurd that adult Michiganders are denied a single document that is theirs and that contains their own information and identities. I ask that you correct Michigan’s outdated and discriminatory law. Please vote YES on the bills in Committee.

Is Phone Your Thing? We Got You

If you prefer to call people, no worries. Go for it. Just be respectful and indicate that you would like the senator’s support on this bill. Here are the phone numbers:

Stephanie Chang (517) 373-7346
Jeff Irwin (517) 373-2406
Ruth Johnson (517) 373-1636
Jim Runestad (517) 373-1758
Sylvia Santana (517) 373-0990
Sue Shink (517) 373-2426
Paul Wojno (517) 373-8360