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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
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32	32	HOUSE BILL 1047 By: Lawson
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40	40	AS INTRODUCED
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42	42	An Act relating to children; amending 10A O.S. 2021,
43	43	Section 1-2-109, which relates to relinquishment of a
44	44	child; modifying age of chil dren for relinquishment
45	45	purposes; amending 21 O.S. 2021, Section 851, which
46	46	relates to abandonment or neglect; modifying age of
47	47	children for abandonment purposes; and providing an
48	48	effective date.
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54	54	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA:
55	55	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 10A O.S. 2021, Section 1 -2-109, is
56	56	amended to read as follows:
57	57	Section 1-2-109. A. A parent subject to the provisions of this
58	58	act shall not be prosecuted for child abandonment or child neglect
59	59	under the provisions of any st atute which makes child abandonment or
60	60	child neglect a crime, when the allegations of child abandonment or
61	61	child neglect are based solely on the relinquishment of a child
62	62	thirty (30) sixty (60) days of age or younger to a medical ser vices
63	63	provider or a child rescuer as defined in this section.
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90	90	B. The following entities shall, without a court order, take
91	91	possession of a child thirty (30) sixty (60) days of age or younger
92	92	if the child is voluntarily delivered to the entity by the paren t of
93	93	the child and the parent did no t express an intent to return for the
94	94	child:
95	95	1. A medical services provider; or
96	96	2. A child rescuer.
97	97	C. Delivery of the child may be effectuated by an in -person
98	98	transfer of the child to the medical services provider or child
99	99	rescuer or by leaving the chi ld in a newborn safety device that is:
100	100	1. Voluntarily installed by the medical services provider o r
101	101	child rescuer;
102	102	2. Physically located inside a police station, fire station,
103	103	child protective services agency, hospital or other medical
104	104	facility; and
105	105	3. Located in an area that is conspicuous and vi sible to the
106	106	employees of the police station, fire sta tion, child protective
107	107	services agency, hospital or other medical facility.
108	108	D. A medical services provider or child resc uer that installs a
109	109	newborn safety device shall:
110	110	1. Be responsible for the cost of the installation; and
111	111	2. Install an adequate dual alarm system connected to the
112	112	physical location of the newborn safety device that is:
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139	139	a. tested at least one time per wee k to ensure the alarm
140	140	system is in working order, and
141	141	b. visually checked at leas t two times per day to ensure
142	142	the alarm system is in w orking order.
143	143	E. Any entity identified in subsection B of this section to
144	144	which a parent seeks to relinquish a child pur suant to the
145	145	provisions of this sect ion may:
146	146	1. Request, but not demand, any inf ormation about the child
147	147	that the parent is willing to share. The entity is encouraged to
148	148	ask about, but not demand, the details of any relevant medical
149	149	history relating to t he child or the parents of the child . The
150	150	entity shall respect the wish of the p arent if the parent desires to
151	151	remain anonymous; and
152	152	2. Provide the parent with printed information relating to the
153	153	rights of the parents, including both parents, with respec t to
154	154	reunification with the child an d sources of counseling for the
155	155	parents, if desired.
156	156	F. Once a child has been relinquished to any entity identified
157	157	in subsection B of this section, the entity receiving the child
158	158	shall:
159	159	1. Perform or provide for the p erformance of any act necessary
160	160	to protect the physical health or safety of the c hild; and
161	161	2. Notify the local office of the Departmen t that a parent of a
162	162	child thirty (30) sixty (60) days of age or younger, in the best
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189	189	judgment of the receiving entity, h as relinquished such child and
190	190	that the entity has taken possession of the child.
191	191	G. Upon being made aware that a medical services pro vider or
192	192	child rescuer has possession of a child under the provisions of this
193	193	section, the Department of Human Services s hall immediately check
194	194	with law enforcement authorities to determine if a child has been
195	195	reported missing and whether the missing child could be the
196	196	relinquished child.
197	197	H. The Department shall design and disseminate:
198	198	1. A simplified form for the recordin g of medical or other
199	199	information that a relinquishing p arent wishes to share with the
200	200	entity to whom the child is being relinquished;
201	201	2. Easily understood printed materials that give information
202	202	about parents' rights with regard to reunification with a c hild
203	203	including, but not limited to, information on how a parent can
204	204	contact the appropriate entity regarding reunification, and
205	205	information on sources of counseling for relinquishing parents; and
206	206	3. Media information including printed material that create s
207	207	public awareness about the provisi ons of this act.
208	208	I. For purposes of this section:
209	209	1. "Medical services provider" means a person authorized to
210	210	practice the healing arts including a physician 's assistant or nurse
211	211	practitioner, a registered or practical nurse and a nurse aide; and
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238	238	2. "Child rescuer" means any employee or other designated
239	239	person on duty at a police station, fire statio n, child protective
240	240	services agency, hospital or other medical facility.
241	241	J. A medical services provider or child rescuer with
242	242	responsibility for performing duties pursuant to t his section shall
243	243	be immune from any criminal liability that might otherwise re sult
244	244	from the actions of the entity, if acting in good faith in receiving
245	245	a relinquished child. In addition, such medica l provider or child
246	246	rescuer shall be immune from any civil liability that might
247	247	otherwise result from merely receiving a relinquished c hild.
248	248	SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 21 O.S. 2021, Section 851, is
249	249	amended to read as follows:
250	250	Section 851. A. Any parent of any child or children under the
251	251	age of ten (10) years, and every person to whom such child or
252	252	children have been confided for nurture or education, who deserts
253	253	such child or children within this state, or tak es such child or
254	254	children without this state, with the intent wholly to abandon it
255	255	the child or children shall be deemed guilty of a felony and upon
256	256	conviction thereof shall be punis hed by imprisonment in the State
257	257	Penitentiary custody of the Department of Corrections for any period
258	258	of time not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years.
259	259	B. It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this
260	260	section that a parent voluntarily delivered a child under the age of
261	261	thirty (30) sixty (60) days to and left the child with, or
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288	288	voluntarily arranged for another person to deliver a child to and
289	289	leave the child with, a medical services provider or child rescuer
290	290	as provided in Section 1 -2-109 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma
291	291	Statutes.
292	292	SECTION 3. This act shall become ef fective November 1, 2023.
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294	294	59-1-5227 CMA 12/29/22

Oklahoma 2023 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1047 Compare Versions