PRINTER'S NO. 67
No. 58 Session of 1983
INTRODUCED BY MILLER, JANUARY 26, 1983
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, JANUARY 26, 1983
AN ACT
1 Creating the Pennsylvania Adoption Cooperative Exchange;
2 prescribing responsibilities; requiring certain agencies to
3 cooperate with the exchange; and providing for regulations
4 and staff.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Short title.
8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
9 Adoption Cooperation Exchange Act.
10 Section 2. Creation of Pennsylvania Adoption Cooperative
11 Exchange.
12 There is hereby created within the Office of Children and
13 Youth of the Department of Public Welfare a Pennsylvania
14 Adoption Cooperative Exchange, referred to in this act as
15 "PACE."
16 Section 3. Responsibilities and duties.
17 PACE shall be responsible for:
18 (1) The review, analysis and referral of children for
1 whom parental rights have been terminated.
2 (2) The accumulation and dissemination of information
3 regarding all children for whom parental rights have been
4 terminated in this Commonwealth.
5 (3) The creation and administration of a public
6 information program designed to inform potential adoptive
7 parents of the need for adoptive homes for children
8 registered with PACE.
9 (4) The preparation and distribution of a photographic
10 listing service on children registered with PACE. Whenever
11 the child is 12 years or older and will not consent to his
12 adoption, the child need not be listed on the service. The
13 children's names shall be forwarded to PACE by the agency,
14 with reference to the specific reason for which the child is
15 not to be placed on the listing service.
16 (5) The preparation of periodic reports concerning
17 activities of PACE and the parents and children referred, for
18 submission to standing committees of the House of
19 Representatives and Senate of Pennsylvania which normally
20 would deliberate on matters of adoption, the Governor and the
21 Secretary of Public Welfare.
22 (6) The coordination of its activities with other state,
23 national and regional adoption exchanges.
24 Section 4. Public and private agencies cooperation.
25 All licensed public and private child service agencies will
26 be required to register all children with PACE for whom parental
27 rights have been terminated for 90 days and for whom no report
28 of intention to adopt has been filed in the court of common
29 pleas.
30 Section 5. Related agencies activities.
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1 The provisions of this act shall not be construed to limit or
2 delay actions by agencies or institutions to arrange for
3 adoptions or institutions to arrange for adoptions or other
4 related matters on their own initiative. They shall not alter or
5 restrict the duties, authority and confidentiality of the
6 agencies and institutions in those matters.
7 Section 6. Regulations and staff.
8 The Department of Public Welfare shall promulgate necessary
9 regulations and shall hire the staff which is necessary to
10 implement this act.
11 Section 7. Application of act.
12 This act shall apply to all children for whom parental rights
13 have been terminated for 90 days and for whom no report of
14 intention to adopt has been filed in the court of common pleas
15 prior to the effective date of this act.
16 Section 8. Effective date.
17 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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