| 1 | 1 | | By: Campbell, et al. S.B. No. 1362 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed March 6, 2017; March 16, 2017, read |
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| 3 | 3 | | first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; |
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| 4 | 4 | | April 3, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, |
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| 5 | 5 | | Nays 0; April 3, 2017, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 10 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 11 | | relating to notification and informational materials regarding |
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| 12 | 12 | | mutual consent voluntary adoption registries. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. (a) This Act shall be known as the Mothers' |
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| 15 | 15 | | Privacy Protection Act. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) It is the intent of the legislature that parties to an |
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| 17 | 17 | | adoption be informed of all future contact options and resources, |
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| 18 | 18 | | while respecting and protecting the decisions of parties to allow |
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| 19 | 19 | | or not allow contact. |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Section 162.403, Family Code, is amended by |
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| 21 | 21 | | adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (d) The vital statistics unit shall develop informational |
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| 23 | 23 | | materials for birth parents and adoptive parents regarding the |
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| 24 | 24 | | central registry and the other registries established under |
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| 25 | 25 | | Subsection (b). The unit shall make the informational materials |
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| 26 | 26 | | readily available on the Internet website of the Department of |
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| 27 | 27 | | State Health Services. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (e) An authorized agency shall: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) notify in writing the birth parents and adoptive |
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| 30 | 30 | | parents of a child for whom the authorized agency is providing |
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| 31 | 31 | | adoption services of the existence of: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) the central registry; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (B) any registry established by the authorized |
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| 34 | 34 | | agency or by another authorized agency or an association of those |
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| 35 | 35 | | agencies with whom the authorized agency contracts to perform |
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| 36 | 36 | | registry services on its behalf, as applicable; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) provide the birth parents and adoptive parents |
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| 38 | 38 | | with the informational materials described by Subsection (d). |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. The vital statistics unit of the Department of |
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| 40 | 40 | | State Health Services shall make available on its Internet website |
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| 41 | 41 | | the informational materials required by Section 162.403(d), Family |
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| 42 | 42 | | Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1, 2018. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 4. Section 162.403(e), Family Code, as added by |
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| 44 | 44 | | this Act, applies beginning with a child for whom an authorized |
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| 45 | 45 | | agency is providing adoption services on or after January 1, 2018. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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| 47 | 47 | | * * * * * |
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