At this very moment, state and federal legislators are considering limiting your access to your family records. Learn what you can do to make the records we rely on more accessible:

Impact of the 2024 Model Vital Statistics Act on Genealogists’ Access to Vital Records
Panel: Jan Alpert, FNGS, Suzanne Hoffman, and Jennifer Zinck, CG
Proposed changes to the NAPHSIS Model Act could close access to vital records for generations–125 years for births, 100 for marriages, and 75 for deaths. This panel explains what’s at stake and what genealogists can do to help preserve access to vital records.

Free The Records: Learn How to be an Advocate for Access to Records and Convince Lawmakers That the Records Belong to the People
Instructor: Suzanne Hoffman
When record access is threatened or denied, grass-roots action can make the difference. Learn how to identify who controls access, understand the laws that govern it, and organize effectively to advocate for change at state and local levels.

Capital Campaign: Military Veteran Bounty Land Digitization Project
Panel: David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS, FNGS, Jan Alpert, FNGS, and Matt Menashes, CAE
Join NGS leaders for an update on the Veteran Bounty Land Records Project, a national campaign to digitize bounty land files at NARA through the Mexican War. Learn about project progress, genealogical discoveries, society partnerships, and how individuals and organizations can get involved.

Conference registration is now open at conference.ngsgenealogy.org/2026registration/