TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Gov. Chris Christie signed a law that will allow people adopted in the state access to their birth records, a decision that resolves a political issue that smoldered for more than three decades before a devoted group of activists could finally sway a governor.

Christie, a Republican who has an adopted sister, agreed to the plan only after reaching a compromise with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Under the deal, birth parents of children adopted before Aug. 1, 2015, will be able to have their names redacted from birth records.

The birth parents of children adopted later will not have that option, but they will be able to express a preference that they not be contacted, or that they be contacted only through an intermediary.