A new state law took effect Monday in Minnesota opening access to original birth records for all adopted people 18 years and older, offering thousands of Minnesotans a wealth of information that they previously could not obtain through the state.

The law, passed more than a calendar year ago in 2023, lifts long-running restrictions on adoptee birth records that date back to 1939. According to a Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson, roughly 150,000 original birth records are now eligible for public release upon the implementation of the law on July 1.

Joe Duea, who was adopted by a Central Minnesota family as a baby, placed his notarized paperwork in the mail early Monday afternoon so that he can finally obtain his original birth records. 

You can find the full story by Danny Spewak at: https://bit.ly/3W6PcDG.