Legislation
State: Alabama
Signed: May 01, 2023
Effective: January 01, 2024
Chapter: Act No. 2023-92
Summary
House Bill 101 pertains to the express consents or relinquishments for an adoption, which may be executed before a Notary Public.
Affects
Adds Section 26-10E-12 and 26-10E-14 to the Code of Alabama.
Changes
- Requires, except as provided in Alabama Code 26-10E-12(a), pre-birth or post-birth express consents or relinquishments for an adoption to be signed or confirmed before certain officers, as specified, including a Notary Public.
- Requires a petition to withdraw express consent for an adoption or relinquishment of a minor for placement for adoption to be in writing, executed by the individual seeking to withdraw the express consent or relinquishment, dated, and signed by two witnesses or a Notary Public.
AnalysisHouse Bill 101 is the result of a four-year effort by the Alabama Law Institute to revise Alabama’s adoption laws. It attempts to streamline and make less costly the process for obtaining a child through adoption. While House Bill 101 is a lengthy bill, the NNA is most interested in the role the bill assigns to Notaries in the adoption process. Traditionally, depending on the state and child placement agency located in a state, several documents in an adoption dossier or home study will require notarization. In the case of House Bill 101, notarization is one way that express consents and relinquishments for an adoption may be executed.
Read House Bill 101.