Kuster Introduces Legislation to Protect Adoptions

As Father’s Day weekend nears, U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, along with Vicky Hartzler, R-MO, introduced the Protecting Adoption Act of 2015 this week, according to a press statement.

The bipartisan legislation would create an electronic National Responsible Father Registry to help place children in permanent homes more quickly. The bill would also help preserve the safety and privacy of mothers, facilitate domestic adoptions, and ensure a birthfather’s rights are protected so adoptions remain secure from future interruptions.

“This weekend, sons and daughters all across the nation will take time to honor the men who serve as fathers in their lives, both by blood and by adoption or guardianship. Creating a national fatherhood registry would protect birthfathers’ rights and help streamline the adoption process for families,” Kuster said. “I worked as an adoption attorney for 25 years, and every day I saw the crucial benefits a fatherhood registry would bring to mothers, fathers, and most importantly, their children. I am honored to join my colleagues from both parties in advocating for families across the country and working to ensure every child has a stable environment at home.”

This Protecting Adoption Act would require a father to register within a certain period of time after the birth of his child - as determined by each state. Birthfathers wishing to assert their rights to parent would be given timely notice of adoption proceedings, and adoptive parents would be apprised of potential claims, adding stability to the process from the beginning. There are currently Responsible Father Registries in 34 states, including New Hampshire. The legislation would encourage these states to share their data with a national registry, as well as allow men who live in states without registries to register directly with the national database. This process would allow men to be notified of court proceedings in any state.