HB 1163 on Adoptions was filed, introduced, and referred to several committees this month. Some of the changes are subtle, some are ambitious. They include:
- explicit procedures for creation and enforcement of continuing contact orders and agreements (“open adoption”)
- an additional class of men whose consent is required for the adoption, namely the man whose name appears on the birth certificate
- requirement of personal appearance at adoption hearings to avoid a default or implied consent
- limitations on the availability of DNA/HLA tests in certain situations (and a requirement that the man claiming paternity pay for it, regardless of who requests the test)
- changes to the private adoption bypass of dependency proceedings.
Over the next few weeks I’ll go through what I like, what I don’t like, and what I think will cause chaos and confusion. Stay tuned.
Leave a Reply