Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H244 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1515 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 244
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jessica Ann Giannino and Sean Garballey
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to the family medical history of adopted children.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jessica Ann Giannino16th Suffolk1/15/2025Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex1/15/2025Paul J. Donato35th Middlesex2/4/2025 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1515 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 244
18	18	By Representatives Giannino of Revere and Garballey of Arlington, a petition (accompanied by
19	19	bill, House, No. 244) of Jessica Ann Giannino, Sean Garballey and Paul J. Donato relative to the
20	20	family medical history of adopted children. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act relative to the family medical history of adopted children.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 210 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
30	30	2section 2 the following section:-
31	31	3 Section 21⁄2. (a) For the purposes of this section “placement agency” shall mean a
32	32	4department, agency or institution of the commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, or
33	33	5any organization incorporated under chapter 180, 1 of whose principal purposes is providing
34	34	6custodial care and social services to children, which receives by agreement with a parent or
35	35	7guardian, by contract with a state agency or as a result of referral by a court of competent
36	36	8jurisdiction, any child under the age of 18 years of age for placement in adoption.
37	37	9 (b) Any placement agency that receives written consent for adoption required by section
38	38	102 from a biological parent shall provide the biological parent with an anonymous family medical
39	39	11history form and encourage the biological parent to complete the form to the best of their
40	40	12knowledge. The anonymous family medical history form shall include, but not be limited to: (i) 2 of 2
41	41	13any known genetic predispositions and health conditions of the parent and (ii) any known genetic
42	42	14predispositions and health conditions of the parent’s relatives within 2 degrees of consanguinity.
43	43	15No placement agency shall require the completion of the form as a condition of acceptance of
44	44	16written consent for adoption required by the section 2.(c) Upon the adoption of any child whose
45	45	17biological parent completed an anonymous family medical history form, the placement agency
46	46	18shall provide the form to the child’s adoptive parent. Any information about the biological
47	47	19parents included in the anonymous family medical history form shall not identify or tend to lead
48	48	20to the identification of the biological parents or their present or former locations. No prospective
49	49	21adoptive parent shall have access to the anonymous medical history form completed by a child’s
50	50	22biological parent prior to the child’s adoption.
51	51	23 SECTION 2. This act shall be known as “Patricia and Francesca's Law”.