Bill Text: GA HB1159 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Adoption records; nonidentifying medical information open to certain persons; provide
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-24 - House Committee Favorably Reported [HB1159 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HB1159-Introduced.html
10 LC
35 1652
House
Bill 1159
By:
Representative McCall of the
30th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 19-8-23 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to where records of adoption are kept, examination of adoption records by
parties and attorneys, and use of information by agency and department, so as to
clarify that nonidentifying medical information contained in adoption records
shall be open to certain persons for purposes of providing medical treatment and
diagnoses; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 19-8-23 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to where
records of adoption are kept, examination of adoption records by parties and
attorneys, and use of information by agency and department, is amended by
revising subsection (d) as follows:
"(d)(1)
Upon the request of a party at interest in the
adoption, a
child or sibling of an adopted person, or
of
a provider of medical services to such a
party, child,
or sibling when certain information
is
necessary because of
would assist
in the provision of medical care, a
medical
emergency,
or
for
medical diagnosis or treatment, the department or child-placing agency
may, in its
sole discretion,
shall
access its own records on finalized adoptions for the purpose of adding
subsequently obtained medical information or releasing nonidentifying medical
and health
history information contained in its
records on
such
pertaining to
an adopted
persons
person or the
biological parents or relative of the biological parents of the adopted
person.
(2)
Upon receipt by the Office of Adoptions of the department or by a child-placing
agency of documented medical information relevant to an adoptee, the office or
child-placing agency shall use reasonable efforts to contact the adoptive
parents of the adoptee or the adoptee if he or she is 18 years of age or older
and provide such documented medical information to the adoptive parents or the
adoptee. The office or child-placing agency shall be entitled to reimbursement
of reasonable costs for postage and photocopying incurred in the delivery of
such documented medical information to the adoptive parents or
adoptee."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
