IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO DIVISION CLEOPATRA DE LEON, NICOLE DIMETMAN, VICTOR HOLMES,and MARK PHARISS, Plaintiffs, v. GREG ABBOTT, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Texas, KEN PAXTON, in his official capacity as Texas Attorney General, GERARD RICKHOFF, in his official capacity as Bexar County Clerk, and KIRK COLE, in his official capacity as Interim Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services Defendants. CIVIL ACTION NO. 5:13-CV-982-0LG DECLARATION OF BARBARA LAUREL KLEIN My name is Barbara Laurel Klein and Iam over the age of 18 and fully competent to make this declaration and state the following: 1.IamaDeputyGeneralCounselfortheDepartmentof StateHealth Services. 2.On August12,2015,theDepartment of StateHealthServicesissued anActionMemorandumimplementingchangestovitalrecordsfor vitaleventsincompliancewiththeU.S.SupremeCourtrulingin Obergefellv.HodgesandtheU.S.DistrictCourtrulingin DeLeonv. Abbott, regarding recognition of same-sex couples. 1 Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 1 of 73.AttachedasExhibitAisatrueandcorrectcopyoftheAction Memorandum. 4.TheCourthasorderedDefendantstoalsosubmitanadvisoryby August 24,2015 regarding pending applications.(Dkt.#113.)With the adoptionoftheattachedActionMemorandum,theDepartmenthas begun issuing death certificate amendments. 5.The processing of software modifications by the third-party vendor that hoststheplatformforvitalrecordswilltakeadditionaltime,which willimpacttheissuanceofbirthcertificates.Untilthatchangeis made,thoserequestingabirthcertificatelistingparentsof thesame sex may choose either to (1)obtain the standard birth certificate listing "mother" and "father"as wellas an amendment to the birth certificate oncethesoftwaremodificationiscomplete;or(2)obtainanoriginal birthcertificateallowingfortheparentstobeidentifiedas"mother," "father"or"parent"oncethesoftwaremodificationiscomplete.The Departmenthasinvestigatedotheroptions,noneofwhichappear viableother than themodificationsdescribedabove,but willcontinue to explore other alternatives. 6.TheDepartmenthashadmultipletelephoneconferenceswiththe vendor sofar,regarding the required changes.The vendor is working towarddevelopinganexpectedtimelinetocompletethesoftware modification. 2 Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 2 of 77.For pending requests of which the Department is currently aware,the Departmentwillbeginissuingqualifyingdeathrecordsandcontact requestors of qualifying birth records, to advise them of their available options to obtain their records. Pursuant to28U.S.C. 1746,Ideclareunder penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 12th day of August, 2015. c l A J w ~Barbara Laurel Klein 3 Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 3 of 7Exhibit A - Page 1 of 4Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 4 of 7Exhibit A - Page 2 of 4Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 5 of 7Exhibit A - Page 3 of 4Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 6 of 7Exhibit A - Page 4 of 4Case 5:13-cv-00982-OLG Document 114-1 Filed 08/12/15 Page 7 of 7