Connecticut recently became the latest state to tackle the Obama "birther" issue, as a GOP state senator introduced a piece of legislation that would require potential presidential and vice-presidential candidates to provide the secretary of state with an "original birth certificate" in order to run.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Michael McLachlan, perhaps seems unusual considering the Democratic tilt of Connecticut, which gave Obama nearly 61 percent of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.
Similarly worded bills have cropped up around the country in the current legislative session, albeit in conservative bastions. A Republican state representative in Arizona recently reintroduced a previously failed bill that would require Obama to provide a copy of his birth certificate in order to be placed on the ballot in the state. A state lawmaker in Texas is also seeking to advance a similar bill, while a number of other states are also expected to push their own versions of "birther" legislation following the growth of Republican power that took place in many state legislatures last November.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian lawmakers have proposed their own measure to discourage "birthers," by adding a $100 charge to anyone desiring a copy of President Obama's birth records.