Hawaii Lawmakers Want To Charge $100 To See Obama's Birth Certificate
HONOLULU (AP) -- Five Hawaii Democratic representatives want to pass a law making President Barack Obama's birth records public and charge $100 to see them.
The bill, introduced this week, would change a privacy law barring the release of birth records to anyone unless they have a tangible interest.
The measure hasn't been scheduled for a public hearing yet, and can't move forward until that happens.
Its primary sponsor, Rep. Rida Cabanilla, says she wants to end the controversy surrounding Obama's birth by handing over official state records to those who will pay.
She says the fee would help offset the extra work by state employees who handle frequent phone calls and e-mails from people who believe Obama wasn't born in Hawaii.
Hawaii's health director has said she's verified Obama's original records, and notices were published in two newspapers within days of his birth at a Honolulu hospital.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
