Senate Bill 1293 Summary

• Amends Idaho Code Section 16-1504 to revise requirements for unmarried biological fathers to establish parental rights in adoption proceedings, distinguishing between children placed before and after 6 months of age.

• For children under 6 months old at placement, requires unmarried biological fathers to file paternity proceedings and notice with vital statistics unit prior to termination of mother's parental rights, filing of adoption proceedings, or execution of consent to terminate parental rights, whichever occurs first.

• Establishes that unmarried biological fathers who fail to strictly comply with notification and paternity filing requirements are deemed to have waived and surrendered parental rights, unless they prove by clear and convincing evidence that compliance was impossible through no fault of their own.

• Creates exception for unmarried biological fathers residing in another state where the mother was also located, allowing them to contest adoption prior to finalization if they complied with the other state's requirements and attempted to locate the mother.

• Amends Idaho Code Section 16-1513 to align paternity registry filing deadlines and procedures with the revised adoption consent requirements in Section 16-1504.