PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 631, 798, 1158, PRINTER'S NO. 3472
3230, 3451
No. 572 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY MESSRS. RICHARDSON, BLACKWELL, MRS. TOLL,
MESSRS. REED, VANN, SHELTON, BARBER AND IRVIS,
FEBRUARY 24, 1975
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JUNE 14, 1976
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of May 14, 1857 (P.L.507, No.567), entitled "An
2 act to Legitimate Children Born out of Lawful Wedlock,"
3 providing that all children are legitimate.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 1, act of May 14, 1857 (P.L.507, No.567),
7 entitled "An act to Legitimate Children Born out of Lawful
8 Wedlock," amended June 17, 1971 (P.L.175, No.17), is amended to
9 read:
10 Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
11 Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General
12 Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the
13 same, That all children shall be legitimate irrespective of the
14 marital status of their parents and in any and every case where
15 [the father and mother of a child or] children are born out of
16 wedlock [shall enter into the bonds of lawful wedlock and
1 cohabit, such child or children shall thereby become
2 legitimated, and] they shall enjoy all the rights and privileges
3 as if they had been born during the wedlock of [their] such
4 parents: Provided, however, That for purposes of paternal
5 inheritance of children born out of wedlock, the identity of the
6 father be determined by, but not limited to, one of the
7 following ways:
8 (1) the father may recognize his child by filing a
9 certificate to such effect in the office of the Bureau of Vital
10 Statistics; or
11 (2) the paternity may be determined by law during the <--
12 lifetime of the reputed father provided the issue is presented
13 to the court within two years of the birth of the child or
14 within two years of the reputed father contributing to the
15 support of the child;or
16 (3) (2) in cases where the father and mother of a child born
17 out of wedlock shall enter into the bonds of lawful wedlock and
18 cohabit, such child or children shall thereby become
19 legitimated.
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall
21 apply to all children living on or born after the date of
22 enactment if the child's father is living on that date or if he
23 is born after the effective date of this act.
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