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S.B. 282

             1     

ADOPTION NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Luz Robles

             5     
House Sponsor: ____________

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies Title 26, Chapter 2, Utah Vital Statistics Act, and Title 78B, Chapter
             10      6, Particular Proceedings.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    requires the state registrar of the Office of Vital Records and Statistics to report to
             14      the 2013 Health and Human Services Interim Committee about the possibility of
             15      creating a national putative father registry;
             16          .    modifies the definition of a "qualifying circumstance"; and
             17          .    makes technical changes.
             18      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             19          None
             20      Other Special Clauses:
             21          None
             22      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             23      AMENDS:
             24          26-2-3, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2000, Chapter 86
             25          78B-6-122, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 237
             26     
             27      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:


             28          Section 1. Section 26-2-3 is amended to read:
             29           26-2-3. Department duties and authority.
             30          (1) The department shall:
             31          (a) provide offices properly equipped for the preservation of vital records made or
             32      received under this chapter;
             33          (b) establish a statewide vital records system for the registration, collection,
             34      preservation, amendment, and certification of vital records and other similar documents
             35      required by this chapter and activities related to them, including the tabulation, analysis, and
             36      publication of vital statistics;
             37          (c) prescribe forms for certificates, certification, reports, and other documents and
             38      records necessary to establish and maintain a statewide system of vital records;
             39          (d) prepare an annual compilation, analysis, and publication of statistics derived from
             40      vital records; and
             41          (e) appoint a state registrar to direct the statewide system of vital records.
             42          (2) The department may:
             43          (a) divide the state from time to time into registration districts; and
             44          (b) appoint local registrars for registration districts who under the direction and
             45      supervision of the state registrar shall perform all duties required of them by this chapter and
             46      department rules.
             47          (3) The state registrar appointed under Subsection (1)(e) shall, during the 2013 interim,
             48      report to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee on the feasibility of partnering
             49      with the public legal notice website described in Subsection 45-1-101 (2)(b) to create a national
             50      putative father registry.
             51          Section 2. Section 78B-6-122 is amended to read:
             52           78B-6-122. Qualifying circumstance.
             53          (1) (a) For purposes of this section, "qualifying circumstance" means that, at any point
             54      during the time period beginning at the conception of the child and ending at the time the
             55      mother executed a consent to adoption or relinquishment of the child for adoption:
             56          (i) the child or the child's mother resided[,] on a permanent basis, or a temporary basis
             57      of no less than 30 consecutive days, in the state;
             58          (ii) the mother intended to give birth to the child in the state;


             59          (iii) the child was born in the state; or
             60          (iv) the mother intended to execute a consent to adoption or relinquishment of the child
             61      for adoption:
             62          (A) in the state; or
             63          (B) under the laws of the state.
             64          (b) For purposes of Subsection (1)(c)(i)(C) only, when determining whether an
             65      unmarried biological father has demonstrated a full commitment to his parental
             66      responsibilities, a court shall consider the totality of the circumstances, including, if applicable:
             67          (i) efforts he has taken to discover the location of the child or the child's mother;
             68          (ii) whether he has expressed or demonstrated an interest in taking responsibility for
             69      the child;
             70          (iii) whether, and to what extent, he has developed, or attempted to develop, a
             71      relationship with the child;
             72          (iv) whether he offered to provide and, if the offer was accepted, did provide, financial
             73      support for the child or the child's mother;
             74          (v) whether, and to what extent, he has communicated, or attempted to communicate,
             75      with the child or the child's mother;
             76          (vi) whether he has filed legal proceedings to establish his paternity of, and take
             77      responsibility for, the child;
             78          (vii) whether he has filed a notice with a public official or agency relating to:
             79          (A) his paternity of the child; or
             80          (B) legal proceedings to establish his paternity of the child; or
             81          (viii) other evidence that demonstrates that he has demonstrated a full commitment to
             82      his parental responsibilities.
             83          (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 78B-6-121 , the consent of an unmarried
             84      biological father is required with respect to an adoptee who is under the age of 18 if:
             85          (i) (A) the unmarried biological father did not know, and through the exercise of
             86      reasonable diligence could not have known, before the time the mother executed a consent to
             87      adoption or relinquishment of the child for adoption, that a qualifying circumstance existed;
             88          (B) before the mother executed a consent to adoption or relinquishment of the child for
             89      adoption, the unmarried biological father fully complied with the requirements to establish


             90      parental rights in the child, and to preserve the right to notice of a proceeding in connection
             91      with the adoption of the child, imposed by:
             92          (I) the last state where the unmarried biological father knew, or through the exercise of
             93      reasonable diligence should have known, that the mother resided in before the mother executed
             94      the consent to adoption or relinquishment of the child for adoption; or
             95          (II) the state where the child was conceived; and
             96          (C) the unmarried biological father has demonstrated, based on the totality of the
             97      circumstances, a full commitment to his parental responsibilities, as described in Subsection
             98      (1)(b); or
             99          (ii) (A) the unmarried biological father knew, or through the exercise of reasonable
             100      diligence should have known, before the time the mother executed a consent to adoption or
             101      relinquishment of the child for adoption, that a qualifying circumstance existed; and
             102          (B) the unmarried biological father complied with the requirements of Section
             103      78B-6-121 before the later of:
             104          (I) 20 days after the day that the unmarried biological father knew, or through the
             105      exercise of reasonable diligence should have known, that a qualifying circumstance existed; or
             106          (II) the time that the mother executed a consent to adoption or relinquishment of the
             107      child for adoption.
             108          (2) An unmarried biological father who does not fully and strictly comply with the
             109      requirements of Section 78B-6-121 and this section is considered to have waived and
             110      surrendered any right in relation to the child, including the right to:
             111          (a) notice of any judicial proceeding in connection with the adoption of the child; and
             112          (b) consent, or refuse to consent, to the adoption of the child.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 3-4-13 1:52 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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