SENATE DOCKET, NO. 273        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 50

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act further regulating the release of information concerning adoption..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Subsection (b) of section 5D of chapter 210 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:- If the biological parent of the adopted person is deceased, a person 18 years of age or older who is a sibling of the adopted person may request in writing a release of the identity after adoption of the adopted person and the placement agency shall release the identity after adoption of the adopted person to the sibling; provided, however, that the agency has received written permission from the adopted person, or written permission from the adoptive parents if the adoptive person is under the age of 21.