By Puente                                             H.B. No. 2482
       74R6734 JMM-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the establishment of a registry for the adoption of
    1-3  certain children.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 47, Human Resources Code, is amended by
    1-6  adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
    1-7                SUBCHAPTER D.  CHILD PLACEMENT REGISTRY
    1-8        Sec. 47.061.  CHILD PLACEMENT REGISTRY.  (a)  The department
    1-9  shall establish a registry in which a woman who is pregnant may
   1-10  register her intent to place her unborn child for adoption on the
   1-11  birth of the child.
   1-12        (b)  To participate in a registry created under this section:
   1-13              (1)  the woman who applies to register must file a
   1-14  petition for the termination of the parent-child relationship
   1-15  between herself and the unborn child under Section 15.021, Family
   1-16  Code; and
   1-17              (2)  the father of the child must be unknown or, if
   1-18  known, be unable to be found to relinquish the father's parental
   1-19  rights.
   1-20        (c)  To apply to the registry a woman shall:
   1-21              (1)  provide information satisfactory to the department
   1-22  that the requirements of Subsection (b) have been met; and
   1-23              (2)  complete a registration form prescribed by the
   1-24  department that includes the:
    2-1                    (A)  name, address, and driver's license number,
    2-2  if any, of the woman; and
    2-3                    (B)  expected date of birth of the child.
    2-4        (d)  The department shall adopt rules providing for the
    2-5  dissemination of the information included in the registry to:
    2-6              (1)  agencies authorized to place children for
    2-7  adoption; and
    2-8              (2)  individuals seeking to adopt children.
    2-9        (e)  The department shall remove information included in the
   2-10  registry relating to a woman who intends to place her unborn child
   2-11  for adoption on the entry of an adoption decree for the child.
   2-12        Sec. 47.062.  REGISTRY FUNDING.  (a)  The department may
   2-13  adopt a fee to be paid by an agency or individual who receives
   2-14  information from the registry under Section 47.061(d).
   2-15        (b)  The department shall use the proceeds from fees
   2-16  collected under Subsection (a) to fund the child placement registry
   2-17  program.
   2-18        Sec. 47.063.  TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER.  The department
   2-19  shall establish a toll-free telephone number for the use of a
   2-20  person who may be the father of an unborn child to determine
   2-21  whether the mother of the unborn child has registered under this
   2-22  subchapter.
   2-23        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-24        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-25  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-26  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-27  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-1  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.