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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 972
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING AC CESS TO ORIGINAL BIRTH
CERTIFICATES BY ADUL T ADOPTED PERSONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 7-53 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
1, 2019): 3
(c) Upon written request, the [department] registrar of vital statistics 4
of the town of an adopted person's birth shall, not later than thirty 5
days after such written request, issue an uncertified copy of an original 6
certificate of birth to (1) [an] such adopted person [who] if he or she is 7
eighteen years of age or older, [whose adoption was finalized on or 8
after October 1, 1983,] or (2) such adopted person's adult child or 9
grandchild. Such certificate shall be marked with a notation by the 10
issuer that such original certificate of birth has been superseded by a 11
replacement certificate of birth as on file. Additionally, a notice stating 12
that information related to the birth parents' preferences regarding 13
contact by such adopted person or such adopted person's adult child 14
or grandchild and a medical health history form completed by the 15
birth parent may be on file with the Department of Children and 16
Families shall be printed on such certificate or attached thereto. 17
Sec. 2. Section 7-53a of the general statutes is repealed and the 18 Substitute Bill No. 972
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 19
[(a) Not later than January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter until 20
January 1, 2021, the Commissioner of Public Health shall submit a 21
report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, concerning 22
the number of original birth certificates issued annually to adopted 23
persons eighteen years of age or older whose adoption was finalized 24
on or after October 1, 1983, or the adult children or grandchildren of 25
adopted persons in accordance with section 7-53, to the joint standing 26
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 27
relating to public health.] 28
[(b)] Not later than January 1, [2016] 2020, and annually thereafter 29
until January 1, [2021] 2025, the Commissioner of Children and 30
Families shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of 31
section 11-4a, concerning the number of contact preference forms and 32
medical health history forms annually filed with the [department] 33
Department of Children and Families in accordance with section 17a-34
60a to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 35
cognizance of matters relating to public health. The report shall 36
include the number of birth parents that selected each option described 37
in section 17a-60a. 38
Sec. 3. Subsection (c) of section 45a-751b of the general statutes is 39
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 40
1, 2019): 41
(c) Regardless of the date parental rights were terminated, on or 42
after July 1, [2015] 2019, the [Department of Public Health] registrar of 43
vital statistics of the town of an adopted person's birth shall, [upon] 44
not later than thirty days after a written request, issue an uncertified 45
copy of an original birth certificate to [an] such adopted person if he or 46
she is eighteen years of age or older [who is] and the subject of [the] 47
such birth certificate, [and whose adoption was finalized on or after 48
October 1, 1983,] or to such adopted person's adult child or grandchild, 49
in accordance with the provisions of section 7-53, as amended by this 50 Substitute Bill No. 972
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act. 51
Sec. 4. Section 45a-751c of the general statutes is repealed and the 52
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 53
[(a) On the petition of an adopted person who is eighteen years of 54
age or older and whose adoption was finalized prior to October 1, 55
1983, or such adopted person's adult child or grandchild, the Probate 56
Court or the Superior Court that finalized an adoption or appointed a 57
guardian ad litem in accordance with section 45a-753 shall issue an 58
order directing the Department of Public Health to issue an uncertified 59
copy of an original birth certificate to such adopted person or such 60
adopted person's child or grandchild in accordance with subsection (b) 61
of section 7-53, provided each birth parent named on the original birth 62
certificate: (1) Consents to the release of identifying information in 63
accordance with sections 45a-751 to 45a-751b, inclusive; (2) is deceased; 64
or (3) a legal representative or guardian ad litem consents to the 65
release of identifying information on behalf of the birth parent in 66
accordance with section 45a-753. Nothing in this section shall limit the 67
right of an adopted person eighteen years of age or older whose 68
adoption was finalized on or after October 1, 1983, or such adopted 69
person's adult child or grandchild to obtain an uncertified copy of an 70
original birth certificate pursuant to section 7-53.] 71
[(b)] On the petition of an authorized applicant, as defined in section 72
45a-743, the Probate Court or the Superior Court that finalized an 73
adoption or appointed a guardian ad litem in accordance with section 74
45a-753 shall issue an order directing the Department of Public Health 75
to issue an uncertified copy of an original birth certificate to the 76
authorized applicant in accordance with subsection (b) of section 7-53, 77
provided the person named in the certificate of birth is deceased and 78
(1) each birth parent named on the original birth certificate [: (1) 79
Consents] (A) consents to the release of identifying information, in 80
accordance with sections 45a-751 to 45a-751b, inclusive, as amended by 81
this act, [; (2)] or (B) is deceased, [; or (3)] or (2) a legal representative or 82
guardian ad litem consents to the release of identifying information on 83 Substitute Bill No. 972
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behalf of the birth parent, in accordance with section 45a-753. 84
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 7-53(c)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 7-53a
Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 45a-751b(c)
Sec. 4 July 1, 2019 45a-751c
PD Joint Favorable Subst.
JUD Joint Favorable