PRINTER'S NO. 1031
No. 921 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY GRUCELA, COY, BLAUM, SOLOBAY, YUDICHAK, BELFANTI,
BROWNE, CALTAGIRONE, L. I. COHEN, COLAFELLA, COSTA,
CREIGHTON, CURRY, DALEY, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, HARHAI, JOSEPHS,
KELLER, KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, MANN, McCALL, MELIO, R. MILLER,
SCRIMENTI, SEMMEL, SHANER, STABACK, THOMAS, TIGUE, WALKO,
WANSACZ, WATERS AND C. WILLIAMS, MARCH 12, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 12, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for definitions; and
3 providing for adoption information retrieval systems.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 2102 of Title 23 of the Pennsylvania
7 Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a definition to read:
8 § 2102. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this part shall
10 have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
11 meanings given to them in this section:
12 * * *
13 "PAIRS." The Pennsylvania Adoption Information Retrieval
14 System.
15 * * *
16 Section 2. Title 23 is amended by adding a section to read:
1 § 2911. PAIRS.
2 (a) Establishment.--In order to develop more reliable data
3 on adoption practices and to improve the analysis of trends and
4 issues in adoptions, the Department of Public Welfare shall
5 establish the Pennsylvania Adoption Information Retrieval System
6 (PAIRS) to serve as a Statewide data collection and reporting
7 system for nonidentifying, statistical information regarding
8 adoptions.
9 (b) Data.--On a quarterly basis and on forms prepared and
10 distributed by the department, the clerk, in cooperation with
11 the agency or intermediary that facilitated the adoption, shall
12 forward to the department certain information concerning each
13 adoption finalized by the court.
14 (c) Duty of adoption agency and intermediary.--It is the
15 responsibility of the agency or intermediary that facilitated
16 the adoption to cooperate to the fullest extent possible in
17 providing the clerk any information concerning the adoption that
18 is requested by the department.
19 (d) Forms.--The department shall develop an adoption data
20 card, which shall be a streamlined form distributed to each
21 court of common pleas, that shall include, but not be limited
22 to, the following nonidentifying information and data elements
23 relating to each adoption finalized by a court of common pleas:
24 (1) The child's birth date, race and place of birth.
25 (2) The birth date and race of the biological parent or
26 parents.
27 (3) The birth date and race of the adoptive parent or
28 parents.
29 (4) Whether the adoptive parent is a stepparent, foster
30 parent or relative and the relationship to the child, if any.
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1 (5) Whether parental rights were terminated voluntarily
2 or involuntarily, including the date or dates when rights
3 were terminated, or whether the biological parents consented
4 to the adoption and the date the consents were entered.
5 (6) Whether the child was in the custody of a public or
6 private agency or in a private placement arranged by an
7 independent intermediary when the adoption petition was filed
8 and for how long the child was in the placement prior to the
9 filing of the adoption petition.
10 (7) The date the court entered the adoption decree.
11 (8) Whether the child was eligible for and received
12 adoption assistance and what type of assistance, if any.
13 (9) Any other information that the department may
14 require by regulation.
15 (e) Report.--No later than May 1 of each year, the
16 department shall submit to the Governor and the appropriate
17 standing committees of the Senate and the House of
18 Representatives a report on PAIRS based upon the statistical
19 information received from the clerks. The department shall
20 include in the report any analyses of the data or
21 recommendations which it deems appropriate.
22 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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