HB4220 Summary

• Department of Children and Family Services establishes a Putative Father Registry to identify and locate putative fathers of children subject to adoption proceedings and provide them notice.

• Putative fathers must register with the Registry in writing no later than 40 days after the child's birth, with no fee charged for initial registration.

• Failure to timely register constitutes a waiver of the right to notice of adoption proceedings and abandonment of the child, providing prima facie evidence for termination of parental rights.

• A putative father who fails to register may challenge the bar by proving by clear and convincing evidence that registration was impossible through no fault of his own, or that fraud was perpetrated on the court, and must register within 10 days of when registration became possible.

• Registry information is confidential and not open to public inspection; knowingly registering false information or releasing confidential information is a Class B misdemeanor.