| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO MAKE ACCESS TO NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATES FOR PERSONS ADOPTED 2 |
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| 14 | 15 | | SIMILAR TO PERSONS THAT ARE NOT ADOPTED . 3 |
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| 15 | 16 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4 |
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| 16 | 17 | | SECTION 1. G.S. 48-9-107 reads as rewritten: 5 |
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| 17 | 18 | | "ยง 48-9-107. New birth certificates. 6 |
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| 18 | 19 | | (a) Upon receipt of a report of the adoption of a minor from the Division, or the 7 |
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| 19 | 20 | | documents required by G.S. 48-9-102(g) from the clerk of superior court in the adoption of an 8 |
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| 20 | 21 | | adult, or a report of an adoption from another state, the State Registrar shall prepare a new birth 9 |
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| 21 | 22 | | certificate for the adoptee that shall contain the adoptee's full adoptive name, sex, state of birth, 10 |
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| 22 | 23 | | and date of birth; the full name of the adoptive father, if applicable; the full maiden name of the 11 |
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| 23 | 24 | | adoptive mother, if applicable; and any other pertinent information consistent with this section 12 |
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| 24 | 25 | | as may be determined by the State Registrar. The new certificate shall contain no reference to the 13 |
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| 25 | 26 | | adoption of the adoptee and shall not refer to the adoptive parents in any way other than as the 14 |
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| 26 | 27 | | adoptee's parents. 15 |
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| 27 | 28 | | (b) In an adoption by a stepparent, the State Registrar shall prepare a new birth certificate 16 |
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| 28 | 29 | | pursuant to subsection (a) of this section except: 17 |
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| 29 | 30 | | (1) The adoptive parent and the parent whose relation with the adoptee remains 18 |
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| 30 | 31 | | unchanged shall be listed as the adoptee's mother and father on the new birth 19 |
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| 31 | 32 | | certificate; and 20 |
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| 32 | 33 | | (2) The city and county of birth of the adoptee shall be the same on the new birth 21 |
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| 33 | 34 | | certificate as on the original certificate. 22 |
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| 34 | 35 | | The names of the adoptee's parents shall not be changed as provided in subdivision (1) of this 23 |
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| 35 | 36 | | subsection if the petitioner, the petitioner's spouse, the adoptee if age 12 or older, and any living 24 |
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| 36 | 37 | | parent whose parental rights are terminated by the adoption jointly file a request that the parents' 25 |
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| 37 | 38 | | names not be changed with the court prior to the entry of the adoption decree. The Division shall 26 |
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| 38 | 39 | | send a copy of this request with its report to the State Registrar or other appropriate official in 27 |
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| 39 | 40 | | the adoption of a minor stepchild, and the clerk of superior court shall send a copy with the 28 |
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| 40 | 41 | | documents required by G.S. 48-9-102(g) in the adoption of an adult stepchild. 29 |
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| 41 | 42 | | (c) The State Registrar shall seal the original certificate of birth and all records in the 30 |
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| 42 | 43 | | possession of that office pertaining to the adoption. These records shall not be unsealed except 31 |
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| 43 | 44 | | as provided in this Article. The State Registrar shall and county registers of deeds may provide 32 |
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| 44 | 45 | | certified typed copies or abstracts of the new certificate of birth of an adoptee prepared pursuant 33 |
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| 45 | 46 | | to subsection (a) of this section to the adoptee, the adoptee's children, the adoptive parents, and 34 |
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| 46 | | - | the adoptee's spouse, brothers, and sisters. For purposes of this subsection, "parent", "brother", 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 |
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| 47 | | - | Page 2 Senate Bill 248-First Edition |
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| 47 | + | the adoptee's spouse, brothers, and sisters. For purposes of this subsection, "parent", "brother", 35 |
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| 48 | + | FILED SENATE |
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| 49 | + | Mar 6, 2025 |
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| 50 | + | S.B. 248 |
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| 51 | + | PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 |
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| 52 | + | Page 2 DRS45130-NJ-7 |
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| 48 | 53 | | and "sister" shall mean the adoptee's adoptive parent, brother, or sister and shall not mean a 1 |
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| 49 | 54 | | former parent, brother, or sister. 2 |
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| 50 | 55 | | (d) At the time of preparing the new birth certificate pursuant to subsection (a) of this 3 |
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| 51 | 56 | | section, the State Registrar shall notify the register of deeds or appropriate official in the health 4 |
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| 52 | 57 | | department in the county of the adoptee's birth to remove the adoptee's birth certificate from the 5 |
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| 53 | 58 | | records and forward it to the State Registrar for retention under seal with the original certificate 6 |
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| 54 | 59 | | of birth in the State Registrar's office. The register of deeds shall also delete all index entries for 7 |
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| 55 | 60 | | that birth certificate. The State Registrar shall not issue copies of new birth certificates for 8 |
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| 56 | 61 | | adoptees to registers of deeds. Only the deeds in the county of the adoptee's birth. This copy shall 9 |
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| 57 | 62 | | replace the adoptee's original birth certificate. Upon request, the State Registrar shall may issue 10 |
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| 58 | 63 | | certified copies of such records, and these copies shall be prepared as prescribed in subsection 11 |
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| 59 | 64 | | (c) of this section. 12 |
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| 60 | 65 | | (e) The State Registrar may by rule prescribe requirements for reports of adoptions from 13 |
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| 61 | 66 | | other states." 14 |
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| 62 | 67 | | SECTION 2. This act becomes effective October 1, 2025, and is intended to apply 15 |
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| 63 | 68 | | to new birth certificates of persons adopted before, on, or after that date. 16 |
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