AB 577

This bill provides an avenue for the adult offspring of a person whose birth

parents' parental rights have been terminated to access the offspring's parent's

original birth certificate and information about the birth parents.

Under current law, the Department of Children and Families administers an

adoption search program under which a person 18 years of age or over whose birth

parent's rights have been terminated in this state may request DCF to provide the

person with his or her original birth certificate and any information that is available

to DCF regarding the identity and location of the person's birth parents. With certain

exceptions, DCF may disclose the requested information only if DCF has on file an

unrevoked affidavit from each known birth parent authorizing DCF to disclose that

information. However, if a birth parent who has not filed an affidavit is known to be

deceased, DCF must inform the requester that the birth parent is deceased, provide

the requester with the identity of the deceased birth parent, and, if both birth parents

are deceased, provide the requester with his or her original birth certificate.

Under the bill, the adult child of a person whose birth parents' parental rights

have been terminated in this state (offspring) may request DCF to provide the

offspring with the original birth certificate of the offspring's parent and any

information that is available to DCF regarding the identity of the birth parents of the

offspring's parent. If the offspring's parent and both birth parents of the offspring's

parent are deceased, regardless of whether either birth parent has filed an affidavit,

DCF must disclose the requested information. If any of those individuals are still

living, DCF may not disclose the requested information.