Civil Right Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026 - Take Action!

From the Chicago Genealogical Society

Action Alert! 

H.R. 3087 

Support H.R. 3087, titled the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026

Established by the bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board is a nonpartisan panel charged with expediting the review and public release of federal records concerning unresolved civil rights-era cases occurring between 1940 and 1979. Working with federal agencies, the Board applies new disclosure standards to make these records more accessible to victims’ families, legal organizations, journalists, scholars, and the public. By bringing these long-hidden investigative records to light, the Board seeks both to provide greater clarity and closure to victims’ relatives and to promote a more complete understanding of this important and troubled chapter in American history. See https://www.coldcaserecords.gov/ for more information on the board. 

 H.R. 3087, titled the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026, extends the operations of the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board through January 8, 2030. 

Key Provisions:

• Extends the Review Board deadline to January 8, 2030. 
• Directs state and local governments to send cold case files to the Archivist. 
• Allow the Board to pay state and local groups for copy and mail costs. 
• Permits public release of select personnel or medical files tied to cold cases from on or before January 1, 1990. 
• Establishes a clear rule that federal and local civil rights cold case files should have a goal of fast public disclosure. 

H.R. 3087 is important to genealogists because it would extend the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board and expand access to records from unresolved civil-rights cases dating from 1940–1979. These records may contain names, photographs, addresses, correspondence, witness information, and other details not found in traditional genealogical sources, helping descendants uncover family and community histories. Genealogists should support the bill’s reauthorization, the removal of the state and local government exemption, and continued funding for the preservation, digitization, indexing, and public accessibility of these records. Please contact your members of Congress to support this legislation at Congress.gov. 

 Any questions can be directed to advocacy@chicagogenealogy.org

Federal Record Access Issue - Federal Civilian Official Personnel Files - Take Action! It Just Takes a Minute

 From the National Genealogical Society

The National Archives and Records Administration recently published a notice in the Federal Register of its intent to adjust the records schedule for federal civilian employees. The public comment period is open, and the agency must receive responses by 24 August 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. Genealogy Issue Federal civilian Official Personnel Folders (OPFs) can contain valuable genealogical information about a person’s government employment. Today, many OPFs for employees who left federal service before 1952 are archived at NARA. Later files generally remain under OPM control and are much harder to access. The 1952 cutoff was created for administrative filing purposes, not because the records on either side of that date have different historical value. In 2025, NARA proposed making OPFs for employees separated through 31 December 1973 permanent records, but this schedule has apparently not yet been approved. The National Genealogical Society and the Records Preservation and Access Coalition (RPAC) support that proposal and call on NARA to sign that record schedule. This new proposal, however, would allow OPFs for employees separated on or after 1 January 1974 to be destroyed after 65 years (right now, all post-1951 OPFs have a 129-year retention). RPAC seeks to: Preserve pre-1974 OPFs permanently. Make all employment years consistent with pre-1974 policy. Replace the arbitrary 1952 access cutoff with a rolling transfer of older civilian personnel files to NARA. This is simple: federal civilian personnel files should become more accessible as they age—not disappear. To submit your comments on the proposal, go to https://www.regulations.gov/document/NARA-26-0331-0008.

Submit Comments to NARA

Volunteer Opportunities: Support Genealogy Friends

Genealogy Friends is an all-volunteer organization. To keep the organization functioning, we need your help. 

Flexible & Remote Positions

Roles are 100% remote; you can contribute from home using tools like a word processor, spreadsheets, Weebly, Adobe Express, and Email Octopus. Training & support provided for all the tech tools. Most positions can be co-chaired by two people; these roles are ideal for people with limited availability. Email newsletter@genealogyfriends.org if you can help out. 

Updates at Ancestry

 Ancestry has updated their relationship predictions for close relationships. According to Diahan Southard, "They are now better at distinguishing your grandparent from your niece.... For the first time they aren't just using cMs and age to try to decide how people are related. They are taking into account the total number of segments, as well as how the matches relate to each other, so the shared matches of matches. This is really the first step in creating a genetic family tree." Here is a link to an Ancestry article about the change. 

There was also an update to the ThruLines tool. There are options for different views. 

August All-Day Virtual Seminar: Strategies for Genealogical Discoveries

 

Join Genealogy Friends on Saturday, August 15, 2026 from 9 to 3 CDT for Strategies for Genealogical Discoveries by J. Mark Lowe. 

Are you ready to tackle persistent challenges and uncover new family connections? Deepen your research skills and find new pathways to family stories in these four sessions:

• Making Those Early Census Records Talk to You
• Early Migration and Settlement Patterns
• Following a Civil Case Through Documents Filed in Court
• Using That Brick Wall as a Foundation

Register https://www.genealogyfriends.org/all-day-seminars.html 

If you are busy and can't attend in person, recordings will be available to watch later. 

Focus on Photographs of Family & Friends

 What challenges do you have with photographs that you use in your family history?

Photo Organization and Cataloging

Do you have an overflowing pile of physical photos/albums along with digital photos/videos on various devices?

Photo Preservation

Do you struggle with how to store and digitize fragile photos that may be 50-100 years old?

Photo Identification

Do you have some nagging photos that you're still trying to identify?

Photo Sharing 

Do you wonder how you can share your photos (and their related stories) via your family trees and social media?

Take a few minutes before our July monthly program to think about where you want to focus.

My goal is to do better at routine scanning of either one photo album or one archival box containing loose photos/slides - just one small step at a time. Yes, I'm also still researching the family photo shown above in this post.

Genealogy 101: Where to Start?

 

Historic Mesquite is offering a moderated panel discussion on how to get started with your family history. 

Thursday July 23, 2026 Doors Open at 6:30

$20 per person, proceeds go towards preserving Mesquite history.