HB2442 Summary: Oklahoma Truth in Adoption Act

• Requires all consent to adoption and permanent relinquishment documents to be executed before a judge in court, eliminating extrajudicial (out-of-court) consents previously allowed for putative fathers

• Prohibits any parent from executing valid consent or relinquishment prior to the child's birth

• Mandates notice to close family members (parents, siblings, adult children) of the other parent when one parent alone is consenting to adoption, with 30 days for them to respond regarding kinship placement

• Establishes presumption that it is in a child's best interests to be raised by a fit biological family member, giving biological families preference in adoption decisions

• Eliminates extrajudicial consent provisions and repeals Section 7503-2.6; increases notice periods from 15 to 30 days for adoption termination hearings; permits courts to award custody to close family members; effective November 1, 2014