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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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55	55	1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
56	56
57	57	SENATE BILL 656 By: Bullard
58	58
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
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65	65	An Act relating to child support; creating the
66	66	Paternal Responsibility Act; providing short title;
67	67	defining terms; making certain person s financially
68	68	liable for certain prenatal care except under
69	69	specified condition; stipulating amount of financial
70	70	coverage; specifying who may bring certain actions;
71	71	authorizing certain action to establish paternity;
72	72	permitting issuance of certain order; pr oviding
73	73	penalties for willful failure to pay support
74	74	obligation; construing provisions ; providing for
75	75	codification; providing for noncodification;
76	76	providing an effective date; and declaring an
77	77	emergency.
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83	83	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STAT E OF OKLAHOMA:
84	84	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
85	85	codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
86	86	This act shall be known as the “Paternal Responsibility Act”.
87	87	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
88	88	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 120A of Title 43, unless there
89	89	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
90	90	A. As used in this section:
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142	142	1. “Father” means the man recognized by law as the mal e parent
143	143	of a child, born or unborn, or whose sperm was involved in the
144	144	fusion of gametes initiating the biological development of the
145	145	child;
146	146	2. “Mother” means the woman recognized by law as the female
147	147	parent of a child, born or unborn, or whose ovum was involved in the
148	148	fusion of gametes initiating the biological development of the
149	149	child;
150	150	3. “Obligor” means the individual who owes another person
151	151	financial support pursuant to this act;
152	152	4. “Prenatal care” means health care, education, counseling,
153	153	and resources provided for a mother and her unborn child during
154	154	pregnancy by a licensed medical professional ;
155	155	5. “Prenatal paternity test” means a scientifically reliable
156	156	genetic test capable of establishing paternity of an unborn chil d
157	157	with a statistical accuracy of at least ninety-five per cent (95%)
158	158	including, but not limited to, the Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity
159	159	(NIPP) Test;
160	160	6. “Second parent” means any individual recognized by law as
161	161	the parent of an unborn child, or who will be recognized by law as
162	162	the parent of the child upon birth other than the mother ; and
163	163	7. “Unborn child” or “unborn person” means the unborn offspring
164	164	of human beings from the moment of conception, through pregnancy,
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216	216	and until live birth including the human conceptus, zygote, morula,
217	217	blastocyst, embryo, and fetus.
218	218	B. 1. The father or second parent of an unborn child shall be
219	219	liable to provide financial coverage for medically necessary and
220	220	appropriate prenatal care received by the mother of the child during
221	221	her pregnancy, unless the par ties have made legally binding
222	222	arrangements to the contrary. The amount of the financial coverage
223	223	shall be equal to either one half (1/2) of the mother ’s out of
224	224	pocket expenses for such prenatal care or in the amount that the
225	225	obligor would owe in child su pport for a child after birth,
226	226	whichever is less.
227	227	2. An action to establish or enforce the obligation of support
228	228	may be brought by the mother of the child or by the public authority
229	229	chargeable with the support of the child.
230	230	3. Proceedings to establish pa ternity may be brought in the
231	231	appropriate district court or through the Department of Human
232	232	Services. Proceedings may be brought by the mother, father, or
233	233	second parent of the child, the Department of Human Services or the
234	234	district attorney. In such a ca se, the court may issue an order
235	235	adjudicating whether a man alleged or claiming to be the father is
236	236	the parent of the child through the application of a prenatal
237	237	paternity test or by other means.
238	238	C. A person who willfully fail s to pay a support obligation ,
239	239	once established by the court, shall be punishable by not more than
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291	291	six (6) months in the county jail for a first offense and one (1)
292	292	year in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a second or
293	293	subsequent offense if such obligation has remained unpaid for a
294	294	period longer than one (1) year or is greater than Five Thousand
295	295	Dollars ($5,000.00). Furthermore, upon a conviction under this
296	296	section, the court shall order restitution in an amount eq ual to the
297	297	total unpaid obligation as it exists at the t ime of the sentencing.
298	298	D. Nothing in this section shall be con strued to hold the
299	299	father or second parent of an unborn child liable to pay, in whole
300	300	or in part, for any services to induce the termin ation of that child
301	301	by means of an artificial abortion reg ardless of whether the
302	302	abortion is obtained within the jurisdiction of this state.
303	303	SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023.
304	304	SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the pre servation
305	305	of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
306	306	declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
307	307	be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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309	309	59-1-374 TEK 1/18/2023 10:32:15 AM

Oklahoma 2023 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB656 Compare Versions