House Bill No. 6105
Public Act No. 21-21
AN ACT CONCERNING ACCESS TO ORIGINAL BIRTH
CERTIFICATES BY ADULT ADOPTED PERSONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (b) and (c) of section 7-53 of the general statutes
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2021):
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section and section
45a-751c, as amended by this act, an original certificate of birth may only
be issued if the person named in the certificate of birth is deceased and
the person seeking to obtain such certificate of birth is an authorized
applicant, as defined in section 45a-743. Any authorized applicant
seeking to obtain a copy of the original certificate of birth shall first
obtain a written court order issued in accordance with section 45a-751c,
as amended by this act. Upon receipt of such court order, the
[department] registrar of vital statistics of the municipality of an
adopted person's birth may issue an uncertified copy of the original
certificate of birth on file, marked with a notation by the issuer that such
original certificate of birth has been superseded by a replacement
certificate of birth as on file.
(c) Upon written request, the [department shall] registrar of vital House Bill No. 6105
Public Act No. 21-21 2 of 4
statistics of the municipality of an adopted person's birth shall, not later
than thirty days after such written request, issue an uncertified copy of
an original certificate of birth to (1) [an] such adopted person [who] if
he or she is eighteen years of age or older, [whose adoption was
finalized on or after October 1, 1983,] or (2) such adopted person's
[adult] child or grandchild, provided such child or grandchild is
eighteen years of age or older. Such certificate shall be marked with a
notation by the issuer that such original certificate of birth has been
superseded by a replacement certificate of birth as on file. Additionally,
a notice stating that information related to the birth parents' preferences
regarding contact by such adopted person or such adopted person's
adult child or grandchild and a medical health history form completed
by the birth parent may be on file with the Department of Children and
Families shall be printed on such certificate or attached thereto.
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 45a-751b of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2021):
(c) Regardless of the date parental rights were terminated, on or after
July 1, [2015, the Department of Public Health shall, upon] 2021, the
registrar of vital statistics of the municipality of an adopted person's
birth shall, not later than thirty days after a written request, issue an
uncertified copy of an original birth certificate to [an] such adopted
person if he or she is eighteen years of age or older [who is] and the
subject of [the] such birth certificate, [and whose adoption was finalized
on or after October 1, 1983,] or to such adopted person's [adult] child or
grandchild, in accordance with the provisions of section 7-53, as
amended by this act.
Sec. 3. Section 45a-751c of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021, and
applicable to petitions filed on and after July 1, 2021): House Bill No. 6105
Public Act No. 21-21 3 of 4
[(a) On the petition of an adopted person who is eighteen years of age
or older and whose adoption was finalized prior to October 1, 1983, or
such adopted person's adult child or grandchild, the Probate Court or
the Superior Court that finalized an adoption or appointed a guardian
ad litem in accordance with section 45a-753 shall issue an order
directing the Department of Public Health to issue an uncertified copy
of an original birth certificate to such adopted person or such adopted
person's child or grandchild in accordance with subsection (b) of section
7-53, provided each birth parent named on the original birth certificate:
(1) Consents to the release of identifying information in accordance with
sections 45a-751 to 45a-751b, inclusive; (2) is deceased; or (3) a legal
representative or guardian ad litem consents to the release of identifying
information on behalf of the birth parent in accordance with section 45a-
753. Nothing in this section shall limit the right of an adopted person
eighteen years of age or older whose adoption was finalized on or after
October 1, 1983, or such adopted person's adult child or grandchild to
obtain an uncertified copy of an original birth certificate pursuant to
section 7-53.]
[(b)] On the petition of an authorized applicant, as defined in section
45a-743, the Probate Court or the Superior Court that finalized an
adoption or appointed a guardian ad litem in accordance with section
45a-753 shall issue an order directing the [Department of Public Health]
registrar of vital statistics of the municipality of an adopted person's
birth to issue an uncertified copy of an original birth certificate to the
authorized applicant in accordance with subsection (b) of section 7-53,
as amended by this act, provided the person named in the certificate of
birth is deceased and (1) each birth parent named on the original birth
certificate [: (1) Consents] (A) consents to the release of identifying
information, in accordance with sections 45a-751 to 45a-751b, inclusive,
as amended by this act, [; (2) is deceased; or (3)] or (B) is deceased, or (2)
a legal representative or guardian ad litem consents to the release of
identifying information on behalf of the birth parent, in accordance with House Bill No. 6105
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section 45a-753.
Sec. 4. Section 7-53a of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective July
1, 2021)