To establish a national registry to provide for the linking of State and tribal responsible father registries to facilitate the timely notification of adoption proceedings to out-of-State possible biological fathers, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · November 30, 2023
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The Protecting All Parents and Adoptees Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national registry that links state and tribal "responsible father registries," which are databases where men can voluntarily register to receive notice of adoption proceedings involving children they may have fathered. Currently, these registries exist in some states and tribes but cannot communicate with each other, meaning a biological father registered in one state may miss notifications about a child in another state. The bill allows adoption agencies, child welfare authorities, courts, and adoption attorneys to access the national registry to identify and notify possible biological fathers, with the Secretary able to charge reasonable search fees. Within 12 months of enactment, the Secretary must report to Congress on the implementation, including a framework to help states and tribes without registries establish them and recommendations for ensuring all possible biological fathers have access to these protections. The legislation aims to speed up adoption proceedings and protect children's rights while giving biological fathers the opportunity to assert parental rights if they choose.
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