Bill > S2050

This bill aims to strengthen protections and oversight in the re-homing and adoption of children by defining key terms like "disruption" (an adoption process ending before finalization) and "dissolution" (an adoption legally severed after finalization). It prohibits individuals and entities, unless they are authorized agents of the Department of Children and Families or licensed placement agencies, from accepting or offering payment for placing a child for adoption or any other temporary or permanent physical placement, with specific exceptions for short-term parental needs. The bill also mandates that placement agencies provide prospective adoptive parents with comprehensive information about a child's background and offer post-adoption services to prevent disruptions or dissolutions, requiring adoptive parents to notify the placement agency if such issues arise. Furthermore, it establishes a uniform orientation curriculum for adoptive parent applicants and introduces significant penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for violations related to unauthorized adoption advertisements, payments, and placements. The bill also creates a task force to identify and address potential abuses in child re-homing and a commission to examine and recommend improvements to the state's adoption processes, with both groups required to report their findings and recommendations to the legislature.