On Sunday, members got their wish when a Missouri law took effect enabling adoptees born before Jan. 1, 1941, to obtain their original birth certificates.

State Rep. Don Phillips, R-Kimberling City, an adoptee who previously reunited with his birth parents, sponsored the bill. He said the legislation succeeded after handlers agreed to remove a passage allowing access of the birth certificates to lineal descendants — meaning the children and grandchildren of adoptees still cannot obtain the birth certificates after their deaths.

Phillips said Monday he expects to sponsor legislation to further open the records. He stood in the conference room, ready to hand out the birth certificates after they arrived from storage.

Monday marked the first of several changes for adoptees. About a year and a half from now, Missouri law will become even less restrictive. On Jan. 2, 2018, adoptees born after 1940 and who are at least 18 years old will be able to request their original birth certificates. For this group, the law will have some limits. Birth parents who want to remain anonymous may file a document with the state that would effectively redact their names from the original birth certificate. If both birth parents file the same document, the original birth certificate will remain sealed.