HCS/SB 21 - This act modifies the "Adoption Awareness Law" and provides that the department of social services, with the assistance of the department of health and senior services, may establish and implement an advertising campaign to recruit adoptive and foster care families. The department is also required to establish a toll-free telephone number for information on adoption and foster care and to answer questions and assist persons inquiring about becoming adoptive parents or foster parents. This act creates the Putative Father Registry Fund and provides that the fifty dollar filing fee for an adoption petition shall be deposited in the fund.
This act also modifies the provisions dealing with the registry of biological parents and adopted adults. The age in the definitions for "adopted adult" and "adopted sibling" was changed from a person who is twenty-one years of age or older to a person who is eighteen years of age or older. The age for an "adopted child" was changed to any person who is less than eighteen years of age.
Current law provides that the Children's Division of the Department of Social Services shall maintain a registry by which biological parents and adoptive adults may indicate their desire to be contacted by each other. This act provides that adult siblings may also sign up on the registry. Further, this act provides that at the time of registry, a biological parent or adult sibling may consent in writing to the release of identifying information to an adopted adult.
Current law provides that an adopted adult may make a written request to the circuit court to secure and disclose information identifying the adopted adult's biological parents. This act provides that if the biological parents have consented to the release of identifying information, the court shall disclose such identifying information to the adopted adult. If the biological parents have not consented to the release of the information, the court shall, within ten days of receipt of the request, notify the adoptive parents of the request and of the agency or juvenile court having access to the information requested by the adopted adult.
ADRIANE CROUSE