CT SB00125

Commissioner of Children and Families shall adopt regulations for adoptive placement of children identified by child-placing agencies, requiring counseling of the pregnant person within 72 hours after birth or as soon as medically possible, provided by a person with a master's or doctoral degree in counseling, psychology, social work or related mental health field.

Prospective adoptive parents may participate in labor, birth, and visitation with identified newborns with consent of the pregnant person, child-placing agency, and the pregnant person's physician, and may be present at hospital discharge in a safe, secure, and private room.

Prospective adoptive parents may pay or reimburse reasonable expenses for pregnancy or adoption (living, medical, legal) between 180 days before and 60 days after birth, subject to Probate Court approval; payments under $2,000 may be made without prior court filing if the child-placing agency determines demonstrated need.

Reimbursement may be sought if the recipient was knowingly not pregnant at receipt of payments or received simultaneous payments from another prospective adoptive parent without their knowledge; otherwise, payments do not obligate genetic parents to place the child for adoption.

Replaces terminology throughout adoption statutes from "birth mother" to "pregnant person," "birth parent," or "alleged genetic parent" and updates references to "family care plans" instead of "plans of safe care" for newborns with prenatal substance exposure; all provisions effective July 1, 2024.