Bill > HB1120

This bill makes several amendments to North Dakota's laws regarding child-placing agencies and adoptions, focusing on clarifying and regulating the financial aspects and licensing requirements for adoption services. The bill modifies existing statutes to provide more detailed guidance on compensation for child-placing agencies, specifying that agencies can receive reasonable fees for services like home studies, counseling, legal fees, and living expenses for birth mothers, but prohibits fees that are contingent on successful adoption. It also updates provisions related to license revocation for child-placing agencies, broadening the grounds for potential revocation and removing some previous language about criminal offenses. The bill allows the department of health and human services to provide adoption services when a conflict of interest exists with a child-placing agency, and maintains the existing provision that allows parents to place children with certain relatives without a full licensing process. Additionally, the bill repeals two existing sections of the North Dakota Century Code related to out-of-state child-placing agencies and license revocation. Violations of these adoption placement regulations can result in a class C felony, underscoring the serious nature of these legal requirements.

Government Affairs

Human Services (H)

https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1120.html