Child Adoption Laws
Oklahoma

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13. A statement that to the best of the petitioner's actual knowledge and belief, as of the date of filing, the minor is or is not an Indian child, as defined by the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Act, and identification of the minor's known or suspected Indian tribe, if any, B. Any written consent, extrajudicial consent for adoption or permanent relinquishment required by the Oklahoma Adoption Code may be attached to the petition, or may be filed, after the filing of the petition,

§10-7505-3.2, A. 1. An affidavit shall be attached to the petition for adoption, or may be filed after the filing of the petition for adoption, but prior to the final decree of adoption, which discloses to the court all of the costs, funds, or monies expended by the adoptive family or expected to be expended in connection with the adoption of a minor, 2. No final decree of adoption shall be entered until the court is satisfied that all costs and expenses have been disclosed, are reasonable, and that the costs and expenses do not violate the provisions of subsection B of this section. Upon its review of the affidavit of monies expended, the court shall in writing disapprove any expenditure that the court deems unreasonable or in violation of Sections 865 through 869 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes and, to the extent necessary to comply with Oklahoma law, shall order reimbursement of any consideration given in violation of Sections 865
through 869 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Payments made pursuant to this section shall not be a violation of Sections 865
through 869 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes, B. 1. Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, the following list of adoption-related costs and expenses specified in this paragraph may be deemed proper items for a person to pay in connection with an adoption:

a. reasonable attorney fees and court costs,
b. reasonable medical expenses for birth mother and minor to be adopted,
c. reasonable adoption counseling expenses for birth parents before and after the birth of the minor, not to exceed six (6) months from placement of the minor,
d. reasonable fees of a licensed child-placement agency,
e. in cases of extraordinary need, reasonable expenses for necessities of the birth mother that are incurred during or as a result of the pregnancy, not to exceed two (2) months from placement of the minor,
f. reasonable costs for travel or transportation of the birth mother or minor as same is incurred for medical or adoption placement needs,
g. reasonable expenses for a home study, and

h. reasonable expenses legally required by any governmental entity related to the adoption of a minor, 2. In addition, all expenses approved by the court should be commensurate with other customary fees for similar services by persons of equivalent experience and training where the services are performed. Any services provided outside this state shall be allowed in an amount as if the services had been performed within the State of Oklahoma, 3. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to living and transportation expenses incurred after the biological mother of the minor contacts the child-placing agency or attorney for adoption services, 4. The provisions of this subsection shall not prohibit a court from extending any time period, or including any additional costs and expenses in connection with an adoption other than those specified in this subsection based on unusual circumstances or need, 5. Except as otherwise ordered by the court except for good cause shown, all payments made pursuant to this section shall be paid directly to the third-party provider of services or goods, C. Any person desiring to pay costs and expenses to or on behalf of a birth parent is authorized to expend an initial amount not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for such costs and expenses without first obtaining court approval as required by paragraph 1 of subsection D of this section. Any such costs and expenses shall be disclosed as is otherwise required by the Oklahoma Adoption Code, D. 1. Except for the amount authorized by subsection C of this section, the payment of any living or transportation expenses for benefit of the birth mother as authorized in subparagraphs e and f of paragraph 1 of subsection B of this title shall be approved in advance by the court, 2. The person, attorney, or licensed child-placing agency desiring to pay living or transportation expenses on behalf of a birth mother which exceed the amount in subsection C of this section shall file a petition for an order approving payment of adoption-related expenses, 3. The petition for an order approving payment of adoption-related expenses may be filed in the district court where the birth mother resides, in the county where the petitioner, attorney, or child-placing agency is located, or in the county where the adoption petition is to be filed, 4. The petition shall be captioned: "In the matter of Baby (name)."
The petition shall include a listing of all anticipated living or transportation expenses to be paid on behalf of the birth mother for which court approval is being sought. If additional expenditures not previously authorized by the court are needed on behalf of the birth mother, an amended petition may be filed with the court, 5. The petition shall be heard by the court within ten (10) days of filing. The court clerk shall charge the same cost for a petition for payment of expenses as is charged for the filing of an adoption petition. In the event an adoption petition is later filed in the same county, the adoption petition shall be filed as an amended petition within the same case in which payment for expenses was approved and no additional court costs shall be required, 6. Any order authorizing payment shall be attached to a petition for adoption. If no adoption petition is filed, the court shall retain jurisdiction to enter any orders deemed appropriate regarding the reimbursement of costs and expenses paid. If the child is placed for adoption outside the State of Oklahoma, any such order shall be submitted to the Interstate Compact of the Placement of Children and to the court in the other state where the petition for adoption is to be filed,

§10-7505-4.1, A. If a consent to adoption or permanent relinquishment for adoption has not been obtained from both parents of a minor who is the subject of a petition for adoption, and the rights of the nonconsenting parent or parents have not previously been terminated, the petitioner for adoption, a consenting parent, or a legal guardian or legal custodian of the minor to be adopted must file an application to the court stating the reason that the consent or relinquishment of the parent or parents is not necessary. In the alternative, if the nonconsenting parent is a putative father of a minor born out of wedlock, the petitioner for adoption, a consenting parent, or a legal guardian or legal custodian of the minor may file an application to terminate the parental rights of the putative father. The grounds for terminating a putative father pursuant to this section shall be identical to the grounds for permitting an adoption without the consent of a parent, pursuant to Section 7505-4.2 of this title, B. A hearing on an application for adoption without consent or an application to terminate parental rights cannot be combined with the hearing on the application for a final decree of adoption. For good cause shown, a hearing on the application for a final decree of adoption may be heard as early as the same day as a hearing on an application to terminate parental rights, without prejudice to the rights of any parties to appeal from the order terminating parental rights, C. 1. Prior to the hearing on the application to permit the adoption of the minor without the consent or relinquishment of a parent, or the application to terminate the rights of a putative father filed pursuant to this section, notice of the hearing on the application and a copy of the application shall be served upon the parent or putative father who is the subject of the application in the same manner as summons is served in civil cases, not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the hearing, 2. The notice shall contain the name of the parent, putative father, or if the father is unknown, the name of the child, date of birth of the child, the date of the hearing, and the ground or grounds for which application for adoption without consent or relinquishment or termination of parental rights is sought. The notice shall apprise the parent or putative father of the parent's legal rights and shall include a clear statement that failure to appear at the hearing shall constitute a denial of interest in the child, which denial may result, without further notice of this proceeding or any subsequent proceeding, in the granting of the application for adoption without consent or permanent relinquishment or in the termination of the putative father's parental rights and in the child's adoption, 3. If the identity or whereabouts of a parent or putative father are unknown, the court must determine whether the parent or putative father can be identified or located. Following an inquiry pursuant to Section 7505-4.3 of this title, if the court finds that the identity or whereabouts of the putative father cannot be ascertained, and this fact is attested to by affidavit of the consenting parent, legal guardian or legal custodian of the minor, it shall order that notice be given by publication and, if the identity is known, that a copy be mailed to the last-known address of the parent or putative father. The notice shall be published once pursuant to the laws relating to the service of notice by publication in the county in which the petition to adopt is filed, and the hearing shall not be held for at least fifteen (15) days after publication of the notice. When notice is given by publication, an order terminating parental rights shall not become final for a period of fifteen (15) days from the date of the order, 4. A parent or putative father may waive such person's right to notice pursuant to this section. The waiver, signed by the parent or putative father, shall include a statement affirming that the person signing the waiver understands that the waiver shall constitute grounds for ordering adoption without consent of the parent or for the termination of the parental rights of a putative father pursuant to the provisions of this section and Section 7505-4.2 of this title. A putative father may waive his right to notice under this section, by signing an extrajudicial consent pursuant to Section 7503-2.6 of this title, or by waiving notice on a form filed with the Paternity Registry of the Department of Human Services, or by failing to register with the Paternity Registry of the Department of Human Services after receiving a Notice of Plan for Adoption pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title, D. When a parent or putative father appears at the hearing and desires counsel but is indigent and cannot for that reason employ counsel, the court shall appoint counsel. In all counties having county indigent defenders, the county's indigent defenders shall assume the duties of representation in such proceedings, E. At the hearing on an application to permit adoption without the consent or relinquishment of a parent, the court may determine whether the minor is eligible for adoption pursuant to Section 7505-4.2 of this title. At the hearing on an application to terminate the parental rights of a putative father, the court may, if it is in the best interests of the minor, determine that the consent of the putative father to the adoption of the minor is not required, and terminate any parental rights which the putative father may have, as provided in Section 7505-4.2 of this title, F. The court shall terminate the parental rights of a putative father if he fails to appear at the hearing on the application to terminate his parental rights or if he has waived notice pursuant to paragraph 4
of subsection C of this section, G. A proceeding pursuant to this section for determination of necessity of parental consent or for termination of parental rights shall be heard by the court without a jury, H. No order of the court shall be vacated, set aside, or annulled upon the application of any person who was properly served with notice in accordance with this section but failed to appear, unless the applicant has established by clear and convincing evidence that such failure to appear was due to unavoidable circumstances. Such application must be filed within ten (10) days of the date of the hearing at which the applicant failed to appear. No order of the court shall be vacated, set aside or annulled upon the application of any person who waived notice pursuant to paragraph 4 of subsection C of this section, I. 1. a. An appeal may be taken from any final order, judgment, or decree terminating parental rights rendered pursuant to this section to the Supreme Court by any person aggrieved thereby, in the manner provided for appeals from the court as provided in this subsection, b. An appeal from an order determining a child eligible for adoption which does not terminate parental rights may be taken in the same manner provided for appeals from the court as provided in this subsection. The failure of a parent to appeal from an order declaring a child eligible for adoption without consent of the parent which does not terminate parental rights shall not preclude such parent from asserting error in the order after the final decree is rendered, 2. In an appeal concerning the termination of parental rights for purposes of adoption pursuant to this section or from an order determining a child eligible for adoption which does not terminate parental rights pursuant to this section, the appellant's designation of record shall be filed in the trial court within ten (10) days after the date of the judgment or order. Appellee's counter designation of record shall be filed in the trial court ten (10) days after appellant's designation of record is filed in the trial court, 3. All appeals of cases concerning the termination of parental rights for purposes of adoption or an order determining a child eligible for adoption which does not terminate parental rights pursuant to this section shall be initiated by filing a petition in error in the Supreme Court within thirty (30) days of the filing of the order, judgment, or decree appealed from. The record on appeal shall be completed within thirty (30) days from the filing of the petition in error. Any response to the petition in error shall be filed within twenty (20) days from the filing of the petition in error, 4. The briefing schedule is established as follows:

a. appellant's brief in chief shall be filed twenty (20) days after the trial court clerk notifies all parties that the record is complete and such notice has been filed in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court,
b. appellant's answer brief shall be filed fifteen (15) days after the appellant's brief in chief is filed, and

c. appellant's reply brief may be filed within ten (10) days after the appellee's answer brief is filed, J. Any appeal when docketed should have priority over all cases pending on said docket. Adjudication of appeals and any other proceedings concerning the termination of parental rights or the determination that a child is eligible for adoption without consent which does not terminate parental rights pursuant to this section shall be expedited by the Supreme Court, K. The pendency of an appeal shall not suspend the order of the district court regarding a minor, nor shall it remove the minor from the custody of that court or of the person, institution, or agency to whose care such minor has been committed, unless the Supreme Court shall so order, L. 1. The termination of parental rights terminates the parent-child relationship, including the parent's right to the custody of the child and the parent's right to visit the child, the parent's right to control the child's training and education, the necessity for the parent to consent to the adoption of the child, the parent's right to the earnings of the child, and the parent's right to inherit from or through the child. Provided, that this subsection shall not in any way affect the right of the child to inherit from the parent, 2. Termination of parental rights pursuant to this section shall not terminate the duty of either parent to support the minor child of such parent. The duty of the parent to support the minor child shall not be terminated until such time as a final decree of adoption has been entered, 3. A determination that the consent to adoption is not required from the parent of a minor shall not, by itself, act to relieve such parent of the obligation to provide for the support of the minor as otherwise required by law. The duty of the parent to support the minor child shall not be terminated until such time as a final decree of adoption has been entered,

§10-7505-4.2, A. Consent to adoption is not required from a putative father of a minor who, at the hearing provided for in Section 7505-2.1 or 7505-4.1
of this title, fails to prove he is the father of the child, B. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who, for a period of twelve (12) consecutive months out of the last fourteen (14) months immediately preceding the filing of a petition for adoption of a child or a petition to terminate parental rights pursuant to Section 7505-2.1 of this title, has willfully failed, refused, or neglected to contribute to the support of such minor:

1. In substantial compliance with an order entered by a court of competent jurisdiction adjudicating the duty, amount, and manner of support; or

2. According to such parent's financial ability to contribute to such minor's support if no provision for support is provided in an order, The incarceration of a parent in and of itself shall not prevent the adoption of a minor without consent, C. Consent to adoption is not required from a father or putative father of a minor born out of wedlock if:

1. The minor is placed for adoption within ninety (90) days of birth, and the father or putative father fails to show he has exercised parental rights or duties towards the minor, including, but not limited to, failure to contribute to the support of the mother of the child to the extent of his financial ability during her term of pregnancy; or

2. The minor is placed for adoption within fourteen (14) months of birth, and the father or putative father fails to show that he has exercised parental rights or duties towards the minor, including, but not limited to, failure to contribute to the support of the minor to the extent of his financial ability, which may include consideration of his failure to contribute to the support of the mother of the child to the extent of his financial ability during her term of pregnancy, Failure to contribute to the support of the mother during her term of pregnancy shall not in and of itself be grounds for finding the minor eligible for adoption without such father's consent, The incarceration of a parent in and of itself shall not prevent the adoption of a minor without consent, D. In any case where a father or putative father of a minor born out of wedlock claims that, prior to the receipt of notice of the hearing provided for in Sections 7505-2.1 and 7505-4.1 of this title, he had been specifically denied knowledge of the minor or denied the opportunity to exercise parental rights and duties toward the minor, such father or putative father must prove to the satisfaction of the court that he made sufficient attempt to discover if he had fathered a minor or made sufficient attempt to exercise parental rights and duties toward the minor prior to the receipt of notice, E. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent or putative father who waives in writing his right to notice of the hearing provided for in Section 7505-2.1 or 7505-4.1 of this title, F. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent or putative father who fails to appear at the hearing provided for in Section 7505-2.1 or 7505-4.1 of this title if all notice requirements contained in or pursuant to such sections have been met, G. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who is entitled to custody of a minor and has abandoned the minor, H. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who willfully fails to maintain a significant relationship with a minor through visitation or communication for a period of twelve (12) consecutive months out of the last fourteen (14) months immediately preceding the filing of a petition for adoption of the child, I. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who has been convicted in a criminal action pursuant to the provisions of Sections 7102 and 7115 of this title and Sections 1021.3, 1111 and 1123 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes or who has either:

1. Physically or sexually abused the minor or a sibling of such minor or failed to protect the minor or a sibling of such minor from physical or sexual abuse that is heinous or shocking to the court or that the minor or sibling of such minor has suffered severe harm or injury as a result of such physical or sexual abuse; or

2. Physically or sexually abused the minor or a sibling of such minor or failed to protect the minor or a sibling of such minor from physical or sexual abuse subsequent to a previous finding that such parent has physically or sexually abused the minor or a sibling of such minor or failed to protect the minor or a sibling of such minor from physical or sexual abuse, J. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who has been convicted in a criminal action of having caused the death of a sibling of the minor as a result of the physical or sexual abuse or chronic neglect of such sibling, K. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent if the parent has been sentenced to a period of incarceration of not less than ten (10)
years and the continuation of parental rights would result in harm to the minor based on consideration of the following factors, among others: the duration of incarceration and its detrimental effect on the parent/child relationship; any previous incarcerations; any history of criminal behavior, including crimes against children; the age of the minor; the evidence of abuse or neglect of the minor or siblings of the minor by the parent; and the current relationship between the parent and the minor and the manner in which the parent has exercised parental rights and duties in the past, L. Consent to adoption is not required from:

1. A parent who has a mental illness or mental deficiency, as defined by paragraphs f and g of Article II of Section 6-201 of Title 43A of the Oklahoma Statutes, which renders the parent incapable of adequately and appropriately exercising parental rights, duties and responsibilities;

2. The continuation of parental rights would result in harm or threatened harm to the minor; and

3. The mental illness or mental deficiency of the parent is such that it will not respond to treatment, therapy or medication and, based upon competent medical opinion, the condition will not substantially improve, M. Consent to adoption is not required from a putative father who has been served with a Notice of Plan for Adoption pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title and who returns the form to the Paternity Registry of the Department of Human Services or agency or attorney who served him explicitly waiving a right to notice and legal rights to the minor or who fails to return the form pursuant to Section 7503-3.1
of this title in time for the form to be received by the Paternity Registry of the Department of Human Services or the agency or attorney who served him within thirty (30) days from the date the Notice of Plan for Adoption was served upon the putative father, N. Consent to adoption is not required from:

1. An individual who has permanently relinquished the minor pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Code;

2. An individual whose parental relationship to a minor has been legally terminated or legally determined not to exist; or

3. The personal representative of a deceased parent's estate, O. Consent to adoption is not required from a parent who has voluntarily placed a minor child in the care of a licensed child care institution or child-placing agency, if the minor has remained in out-of-home care for eighteen (18) months or more, and the parent has willfully failed to substantially comply for twelve (12) consecutive months out of the fourteen-month period immediately preceding the filing of the petition for adoption with a reasonable written plan of care. Provided, the willful failure to comply with the written plan of care may not be a ground for adoption without consent unless the plan of care, at the time it was initially executed by the parent, contained notice that failure to substantially comply constitutes grounds for adoption without consent. The reasonableness of the plan shall be a question of fact to be determined by the court, §10-7505-4.3, A. If, at any time in a proceeding for adoption or for termination of a relationship of parent and child pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Code, the court finds that an unknown father or putative father of the child may not have received notice, the court shall determine whether he can be identified. The determination must be based on evidence that includes inquiry of appropriate persons in an effort to identify an unknown father or putative father for the purpose of providing notice, B. The inquiry required by subsection A of this section must include whether:

1. The woman who gave birth to the child was married at the probable time of conception of the child, or at a later time;

2. The woman was cohabiting with a man at the probable time of conception of the child;

3. The woman has received payments or promises of support, other than from a governmental agency, with respect to the child or because of her pregnancy;

4. The woman has named any individual as the father on the birth certificate of the child or in connection with applying for or receiving public assistance; and

5. Any individual has formally or informally acknowledged or claimed paternity of the child in a jurisdiction in which the woman resided during or since her pregnancy, or in which the child has resided or resides, at the time of the inquiry, C. If inquiry pursuant to subsection B of this section identifies as the father or putative father of the child an individual who has not received notice of the proceeding, the court shall require notice to be served upon him pursuant to Section 7505-2.1 or 7505-4.1 of this title, D. If, in an inquiry pursuant to this section, the woman who gave birth to the child fails to disclose the identity of a possible father or reveal his whereabouts, she must be advised that the lack of information about the father's medical and genetic history may be detrimental to the child. She should also be advised that any false statement that she might make under oath or affirmation at a hearing or trial before the court regarding her knowledge of the identity or whereabouts of a possible father, if she knows or believes that the statement is not true or intends thereby to obstruct the ascertainment of the truth, could constitute grounds for a criminal prosecution for perjury,

§10-7505-5.1, A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, only a person for whom a favorable written preplacement home study has been prepared may accept custody of a minor for purposes of adoption. A preplacement home study is favorable if it contains a finding that the person is suited to be an adoptive parent, either in general or for a particular minor, and it is completed or brought current within twelve (12)
months next preceding a placement of a minor with the person for adoption, B. A court may waive the requirement of a preplacement home study for good cause shown, but a person who is the subject of a waiver must be evaluated during the pendency of a proceeding for adoption, C. A preplacement home study is not required if a parent or guardian places a minor directly with a relative of the minor for purposes of adoption, but a home study of the relative is required during the pendency of a proceeding for adoption, D. For purposes of this subsection, the State of Oklahoma elects to make subparagraph (A) of paragraph 20 of subsection 3 of Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (Public Law 105-89) inapplicable to Oklahoma. Instead, the State of Oklahoma requires that:

1. Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a prospective adoptive parent shall not be approved for placement of a child if the petitioners or any other person residing in the home of the petitioners has been convicted of any of the following felony offenses:

a. within the five-year period preceding the date of the petition, physical assault, domestic abuse, battery or a drug-related offense, except as otherwise authorized by this subsection,
b. child abuse or neglect,
c. a crime against a child, including, but not limited to, child pornography, and

d. a crime involving violence, including, but not limited to, rape, sexual assault or homicide, but excluding physical assault or battery, 2. A prospective adoptive parent may be an approved placement regardless of whether such parent has been convicted of any of the felony offenses specified by subparagraph a of paragraph 1 of this subsection, if an evaluation has been made and accepted by the court which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime in relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime, the circumstances under which the crime was committed, the degree of rehabilitation, the number of crimes committed by the person involved, and a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the child will not be at risk by such placement, E. Under no circumstances shall a child be placed in the custody of an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act or an individual who is married to or living with an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act, §10-7505-5.2, A. If a preplacement home study is waived by the court for good cause shown or is not required by Section 29 of this act, the court, upon the filing of a petition for adoption, shall order that a home study be made and filed with the court by the designated investigator within the time fixed by the court, and in no event more than sixty (60) days from the issuance of the order for the home study, unless the time therefor is extended by the court, B. If the child to be adopted is the biological or adopted child of either of the petitioners or of the spouse of the petitioner, then the court by order may waive the requirement in subsection A of this section that a home study report be made, and the requirement for a supplemental report set forth in subsection C of Section 31 of this act, if the court makes the following findings:

1. That waiver of the home study requirement is in the best interest of the child;

2. That the parent of the child and the stepparent of the child who are petitioning for adoption have been married for at least one (1)
year with the child who is to be adopted living in their home; and

3. That the stepparent who is petitioning for adoption has no record of conviction of a felony or conviction or adjudication in juvenile court for child abuse or neglect or domestic violence, and there is no record of a protective order or orders issued against the stepparent, In all other adoptions, including foster, relative, and stepparent adoptions, a home study and report shall be made pursuant to this section or Section 29 of this act,

§10-7505-5.3, A. A home study satisfying Section 7505-5.1 or 7505-5.2 of this title must include at a minimum the following:

1. An appropriate inquiry to determine whether the proposed home is a suitable one for the minor; and any other circumstances and conditions which may have a bearing on the adoption and of which the court should have knowledge; and in this entire matter of investigation, the court is specifically authorized to exercise judicial knowledge and discretion;

2. Documentation of at least one individual interview with each parent, each school-age child and any other household member, one joint interview, a home visit, and three written references;

3. Verification that the home is a healthy, safe environment in which to raise a minor, as well as verification of marital status, employment, income, access to medical care, physical health and history; and

4. A review of a criminal background check and a child abuse registry check, a. A background check shall be required for adoptive parents and all other household members eighteen (18) years of age and older, consisting of a review of the state criminal background check, a search of the Department of Corrections' files maintained pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act, and a search of the child abuse and neglect files maintained for review by authorized entities by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the Oklahoma Child Abuse Reporting and Prevention Act, b. For each adoptive parent or other household member eighteen (18)
years of age or older who has not maintained continuous residency in the state for ten (10) years prior to the home study or home study update, a national fingerprint-based criminal background check shall be performed in addition to the state criminal background check and child abuse registry check, c. Each prospective adoptive parent or other household member eighteen (18) years of age or older shall be required to cooperate with the requirements of the Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation with regard to the criminal background check and child abuse check, including but not limited to signing a release of information allowing the release of the results of any search to the agency or person conducting the home study or home study update, d. Upon completion of the criminal record checks and child abuse checks, the Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shall forward all information obtained to the agency or other person authorized in Section 7505-5.4 of this title to conduct home study investigations who has requested the background searches, B. A home study which is being updated or brought current in accordance with subsection A of Section 7505-5.1 of this title shall document appropriate inquiry into changes in the family situation since the last home study, a home visit, at least one joint interview, information on any children added to the family, experiences, if any, of the adoptive parents as parents since the last study, verification of current physical health, and three current letters of reference, C. An updated home study as described in subsection B of this section shall include a review of criminal background checks and child abuse registry checks as described in subsection A of this section. However, when a national fingerprint background check has been done within the five (5) years previous to the completion of the updated home study and the results are available for review by the home study investigator, then a name-based search of the records of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation on the adoptive parents and other household residents over the age of eighteen (18) for whom the fingerprint background check has been performed shall satisfy the requirements for a criminal background check for purposes of a home study update, D. 1. A preplacement home study or update which is being used solely for purposes of international adoption shall not require a national fingerprint-based criminal background search in addition to the one required by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, 2. Such an international home study shall contain a review of a state criminal background check, a search of the Department of Corrections'
files maintained pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act, and a search of the child abuse and neglect files maintained for review by authorized entities by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the Oklahoma Child Abuse Reporting and Prevention Act, 3. An international home study or home study update as described in this section must include a statement that the home study recommendation is for international adoption purposes only and may not be used as the basis for a domestic adoption without the addition of a review of the results of a national fingerprint-based criminal background search if such would be required by subparagraph b of paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section, E. The report of such home study or home study update shall become a part of the files in the case and shall contain a definite recommendation for or against the proposed adoption and the reasons therefor, F. Following issuance of an interlocutory decree of adoption, or if the interlocutory decree is waived, prior to issuance of a final decree, the investigator conducting the home study or another investigator who meets the qualifications specified in Section 7505-5.4 of this title, shall observe the minor in the proposed adoptive home and report in writing to the court on any circumstances or conditions which may have a bearing on the granting of a final adoption decree. If the interlocutory decree was not waived, the investigator must certify that the final examination described in this subsection has been made since the granting of the interlocutory order. This supplemental report shall include a determination as to the legal availability or status of the minor for adoption and shall be filed prior to the final decree of adoption,

§10-7505-5.4, A. Home studies satisfying Sections 7505-5.1, 7505-5.2 and 7505-5.3 of this title must be conducted and the reports prepared only by the following persons or agencies:

1. The agency having custody or legal guardianship of the child;

2. The Department of Human Services;

3. A licensed child-placing agency;

4. A person designated by the court who meets one of the following qualifications:

a. a master's degree in social work and one (1) year of experience in children's services,
b. a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and one (1) year of experience in children's services,
c. a master's degree in a behavioral or social science and two (2)
years' experience in children's services,
d. a doctorate in a behavioral or social science and one (1) year of experience in children's services, or

e. is a member of the clergy with two (2) years of experience in family counseling; or

5. A person who is supervised by a person described in paragraph 4 of this subsection, and who meets one of the following qualifications:

a. a bachelor's degree in social work, or

b. a bachelor's degree in behavioral or social science and one (1)
year of experience in children's or family services, B. Persons satisfying the qualifications listed in paragraphs 4 and 5
of subsection A of this section shall attend and satisfactorily complete at least once every three (3) years a minimum of a three-hour course in home study preparation and adoption trends taught by a licensed child-placing agency, by the Department of Human Services, or by a college or university. Documentation of having met this educational requirement shall be provided by the person to the court or others upon request, C. The court may order agencies named in subsection A of this section located in one or more counties to make separate investigations on separate parts of the inquiry, as may be appropriate, D. The Department of Human Services shall not be required by the court to make a home study and report to the court on adoptive placements made by private adoption agencies or persons providing private adoption services, §10-7505-6.1, Upon examination of the report required in Section 29 or 30 of this act, and after hearing, the court may issue an interlocutory decree giving the care and custody of a minor to the petitioners, pending the further order of the court,

§10-7505-6.2, A. Before the final hearing on the petition for adoption, the following must be filed in the proceeding when available:

1. A certified copy of the birth certificate or other record of the date and place of birth of the minor;

2. Any consent, extra judicial consent, or permanent relinquishment, with respect to the minor that has been executed, and any written verifications required by the Oklahoma Adoption Code from the individual before whom a consent, extra judicial consent, or permanent relinquishment was executed;

3. A certified copy of any court order terminating the parental rights of the minor's parents or guardian;

4. A certified copy of any existing court order or the petition in any pending proceeding concerning custody of or visitation with the minor;

5. A copy of any home study performed on the petitioners, including the home studies required by Sections 7505-5.1, 7505-5.2 and 7505-5.3
of this title, 6. A copy of any agreement with a public agency to provide a subsidy for the benefit of a minor with a special need;

7. A verified document by the Department, or child-placing agency that placed the minor for adoption, or the attorney for the adoptive parent in direct placement adoption, or the person who is placing the minor for adoption in a direct placement adoption in which the adoptive parent is not represented by an attorney, stating that the petitioner for adoption has been furnished a copy of the medical and social history report, pursuant to Section 7504-1.2 of this title;

8. The name and address, if known, of any person who is entitled to receive notice of the proceeding for adoption;

9. The affidavit of expenditures;

10. A copy of the medical and social history report, as required by subsection D of Section 7504-1.2 of this title, including the initial report and all supplemental reports, if any, prepared pursuant to subsection C of Section 7504-1.2 of this title;

11. Affidavits of nondisclosure, if any, signed by a biological parent;

12. A copy of the state criminal background check, national fingerprint-based criminal background check, a search of the Department of Corrections' files maintained pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act, and a search of the child abuse and neglect files maintained for review by authorized entities by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the Oklahoma Child Abuse Reporting and Prevention Act; and

13. Any such other document or information required by the court, B. If an item required by subsection A of this section is not available, the person responsible for furnishing the item shall file an affidavit explaining its absence,

§10-7505-6.3, A. After six (6) months from the date of the interlocutory decree unless the court waived all or part of the waiting period, the petitioners may apply to the court for a final decree of adoption. The court shall thereupon set a time and place for final hearing, B. If the minor is related by blood to one of the petitioners, or is a stepchild of the petitioner, or the court finds that the best interests of the child will be furthered thereby, the court, after examination of the home study reports required by Section 7505-5.1 or 7505-5.2 of this title, may waive the entry of an interlocutory decree and the waiting period of six (6) months or the balance of the waiting period provided in this section, C. Notice of the time and date of the hearing shall be served at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing upon any parent whose parental rights have not been terminated, unless that parent has properly executed a consent to the adoption or a permanent relinquishment pursuant to Sections 7503-2.3, 7503-2.4 and 7503-2.6 of this title or has waived the right to notice pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title. Notice of the hearing shall also be served on the child-placing agency or the Department of Human Services in those cases where the child-placing agency or Department has original custody, or performed a home study, D. The petitioners and child shall appear at the hearing on the application for final decree, unless the presence of the child is waived by the court, E. The final hearing is not required to be recorded by a court reporter. Upon the request of any party, the court shall direct that the hearing be recorded by the court reporter, or the court may order on its own initiative that the hearing be recorded, F. The court may enter a final decree of adoption, if the court is satisfied that the adoption is in the best interests of the child, G. For purposes of this subsection, the State of Oklahoma elects to make subparagraph (A) of paragraph 20 of subsection 3 of Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (Public Law 105-89) inapplicable to Oklahoma. Instead, the State of Oklahoma requires that:

1. Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a prospective adoptive parent shall not be approved for placement of a child if the petitioners or any other person residing in the home of the petitioners has been convicted of any of the following felony offenses:

a. within the five-year period preceding the date of the petition, physical assault, domestic abuse, battery or a drug-related offense, except as otherwise authorized by this subsection,
b. child abuse or neglect,
c. a crime against a child, including, but not limited to, child pornography, and

d. a crime involving violence, including, but not limited to, rape, sexual assault or homicide, but excluding physical assault or battery, 2. A prospective adoptive parent may be an approved placement regardless of whether such parent has been convicted of any of the felony offenses specified by subparagraph a of paragraph 1 of this subsection, if an evaluation has been made and accepted by the court which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime in relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime, the circumstances under which the crime was committed, the degree of rehabilitation, the number of crimes committed by the person involved, and a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the child will not be at risk by such placement, H. Under no circumstances shall a child be placed in the custody of an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act or an individual who is married to or living with an individual subject to the Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act, §10-7505-6.4, A. If the court denies a petition for adoption or vacates a decree of adoption, it shall dismiss the proceeding. If no preexisting custody order remains in effect, the court shall issue an appropriate order for the legal and physical custody of the minor according to the best interests of the minor, if the court has jurisdiction to issue a custody order, B. 1. If the court has jurisdiction to issue a custody order, the court shall schedule a separate hearing to determine custody of the minor. The court shall certify that the petitioner for adoption and each parent of the minor has received notice of the date of the custody hearing at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the hearing and that each biological parent who has signed a consent or permanent relinquishment has been served in the same manner as summons is served in civil cases at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the hearing. The petitioner for adoption shall be responsible for serving any parent who has not entered an appearance in the adoption proceeding. If the Department of Human Services or any licensed child-placing agency had legal custody at the time the petition was filed, the petitioner shall notify the Department or agency of the date of the custody hearing, 2. Upon motion to intervene, the court shall join any person entitled to notice under this subsection who is not already a party to the proceeding, 3. At the hearing, the court may award custody to the biological mother, the biological father, the biological parents, if they are married, the prospective adoptive parents, or the Department or other licensed child-placing agency if the Department or agency had legal custody of the child at the time that the petition was filed, pursuant to Section 21.1 of this title, in the best interests of the child, 4. The child shall be represented at this hearing pursuant to Section 7505-1.2 of this title.

§10-7505-6.5, A. After the final decree of adoption is entered, the relation of parent and child and all the rights, duties, and other legal consequences of the natural relation of child and parent shall thereafter exist between the adopted child and the adoptive parents of the child and the kindred of the adoptive parents. From the date of the final decree of adoption, the child shall be entitled to inherit real and personal property from and through the adoptive parents in accordance with the statutes of descent and distribution. The adoptive parents shall be entitled to inherit real and personal property from and through the child in accordance with said statutes, B. After a final decree of adoption is entered, the biological parents of the adopted child, unless they are the adoptive parents or the spouse of an adoptive parent, shall be relieved of all parental responsibilities for said child and shall have no rights over the adopted child or to the property of the child by descent and distribution, C. A grandparent, who is the parent of the minor's biological parents, may be given reasonable rights of visitation to the child, only to the extent permitted by the provisions of Section 5 of this title, D. A decree of adoption does not affect any property right or benefit vested in the child before the decree becomes final,

§10-7505-6.6, A. 1. For each adoption or annulment of adoption, the attorney or child-placing agency handling the adoption or annulment of adoption shall prepare and the clerk of the court shall certify, within thirty (30) days after the decree becomes final, a certificate of such decree on a form furnished by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, 2. Before the fifteenth day of each calendar month, the attorney or child-placing agency handling the adoption or annulment of adoption shall forward to the State Registrar the certificates prepared by the attorney or agency handling the adoption or annulment of adoption during the preceding calendar month. If a biological parent has filed an affidavit of nondisclosure pursuant to Section 7503-2.5 of this title, the attorney or agency handling the adoption shall attach the affidavit of nondisclosure to the certificate of such decree and forward it with the certificate to the State Registrar, B. The State Registrar, upon receipt of a certificate of a decree of adoption, shall prepare a supplementary birth certificate in the new name of the adopted person with the names of the adoptive parents listed as the parents. The city and county of the place of birth, the hospital, and the name of the physician shall not be changed from the information provided on the original certificate of birth. If the adopted person was born in a foreign country, the State Registrar shall prepare a certificate of foreign birth, C. The State Registrar shall seal and file the original certificate of birth, if any, with the certificate of decree of adoption and the affidavit of nondisclosure, if any, attached. Upon receipt of a certificate of a court order of annulment of adoption, the State Registrar shall restore the original certificate to its original place in the files, D. For adoptions finalized after November 1, 1997, the State Registrar shall provide an adopted person, at that person's request, with an uncertified copy of the person's original certificate of birth at any time after the adopted person's eighteenth birthday, if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The adopted person has submitted satisfactory proof of identity;

2. The adopted person has submitted an affidavit in which the adopted person states under oath that such person does not have a biological sibling under the age of eighteen (18) who is currently in an adoptive family and whose location is known to the adopted person; and
3. The State Registrar has ascertained that at the time of the request there is no unrevoked affidavit of nondisclosure by a biological parent on file. However, if an unrevoked affidavit of nondisclosure from only one biological parent is on file and the other conditions have been met, the State Registrar may release to the adopted person an uncertified copy of the person's original certificate of birth after deleting from that copy of the birth certificate any identifying information regarding the biological parent who filed the unrevoked affidavit of nondisclosure, including, if necessary, the original surname of the adopted person, E. The State Registrar shall not disclose an original certificate of birth or other sealed adoption records, except as permitted by subsection D of this section, or upon order of the court for good cause shown pursuant to Section 7505-1.1 of this title,

§10-7505-7.1, A. An appeal may be taken from any final order, judgment, decree, or any order determining a minor eligible for adoption without terminating parental rights rendered pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Code to the Supreme Court by any person aggrieved thereby, in the manner provided for appeals from the court as provided in this section, B. In an appeal concerning the adoption of a minor or the termination of parental rights for adoption purposes, or any order determining a minor eligible for adoption without terminating parental rights, the appellant's designation of record shall be filed in the trial court within ten (10) days after the date of the judgment or order, Appellee's counter designation of record shall be filed in the trial court ten (10) days after appellant's designation of record is filed in the trial court, C. All appeals of cases concerning the adoption of a minor or the termination of parental rights for adoption purposes, or an order determining that a minor is eligible for adoption which does not terminate parental rights, shall be initiated by filing a petition in error in the Supreme Court within thirty (30) days of the filing of the order, judgment, or decree appealed from. The record on appeal shall be completed within thirty (30) days from the filing of the petition in error. Any response to the petition in error shall be filed within twenty (20) days from the filing of the petition in error, D. The briefing schedule is established as follows:

1. Appellant's brief in chief shall be filed twenty (20) days after the trial court clerk notifies all parties that the record is complete and such notice has been filed in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court;

2. Appellee's answer brief shall be filed fifteen (15) days after the appellant's brief in chief is filed; and

3. Appellant's reply brief may be filed within ten (10) days after the appellee's answer brief is filed, E. Any appeal when docketed should have priority over all cases pending on said docket. Adjudication of appeals and any other proceedings concerning the adoption of the minor described in this section shall be expedited by the Supreme Court, F. The pendency of an appeal shall not suspend the order of the district court regarding a minor, nor shall it remove the minor from the custody of that court or of the person, institution, or agency to whose care such minor has been committed, unless the Supreme Court shall so order, §10-7505-7.2, A. Except as otherwise provided by paragraph 3 of subsection B of Section 7503-2.7 of this title:

1. When an interlocutory or final decree of adoption has been rendered, a decree terminating parental rights cannot be challenged on any ground, either by a direct or a collateral attack, more than three (3) months after its rendition. The minority of the natural parent shall not operate to prevent this time limit from running; and

2. No adoption may be challenged on any ground either by a direct or collateral attack more than three (3) months after the entry of the final adoption decree regardless of whether the decree is void or voidable, and the minority or incompetence of the natural parent shall not operate to prevent this time limit from running, B. In any challenge on any ground either by a direct or collateral attack, the court shall not enter a decision which is contrary to the best interests of the adopted minor,

§10-7506-1.1, A. The Department of Human Services shall establish a centralized paternity registry. The purpose of the registry is to:

1. Protect the parental rights of a putative father who may wish to affirmatively assume responsibility for children he may have fathered;
and

2. Expedite adoptions of children whose biological fathers are unwilling to assume responsibility for their children by registering with the registry or otherwise acknowledging their children, B. The father or putative father of a child born out of wedlock may file:

1. A notice of desire to receive notification of an adoption proceeding concerning the minor pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title;

2. A notice of intent to claim paternity of the child pursuant to this section or Section 7503-3.1 of this title;

3. An instrument acknowledging paternity of the child as provided in Section 7503-3.1 of this title, or this section, and Section 1-311.3
of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

4. A waiver of interest pursuant to Section 7503-3.1 of this title; or

5. Any other claim for acknowledging or denial of paternity authorized by law, C. The paternity registry shall also be available to any person who:

1. Has been adjudicated by a court of another state or territory of the United States to be the father of a minor by filing a certified copy of the court order with the registry; or

2. Has been adjudicated by a court of this state to be the father of a minor born out of wedlock, D. The Department shall maintain the following information in the registry:

1. The putative father's:

a. name,
b. address at which the putative father may be served with notice of an adoption,
c. Social Security number,
d. date of birth, and

e. tribal affiliation, if any;

2. The mother's:

a. name, including all other names known to the putative father that the mother uses, and

b. address, Social Security number, and date of birth, if known;

3. The minor's name, date and place of birth, if known, or the probable month and year of the expected birth of the minor;

4. The date that the Department receives a putative father's registration;

5. The:

a. name of an attorney or child-placing agency that requests the Department to search the registry to determine whether a putative father is registered in relation to a mother whose minor is or may be the subject of an adoption, and

b. date that the attorney or agency submits a request as provided under this paragraph;

6. If the registration is based upon an adjudication by a court of this or any other state, the case number, court, date of order, judgment or decree, and a copy of the decree; and

7. Any other information that the Department determines is necessary to access the information in the registry, E. The Department shall store the registry's data in a manner so that the data is accessible under the following:

1. The putative father's name;

2. The mother's name; and

3. The minor's name, if known, F. A putative father who registers under this section shall provide to the Department:

1. The putative father's:

a. name,
b. address at which the putative father may be served with notice of an adoption,
c. Social Security number,
d. date of birth, and

e. tribal affiliation, if any;

2. The mother's name, including all other names known to the putative father that the mother uses;

3. If the registration is based upon an adjudication by a court of this or any other state, the case number, court, date of order, judgment or decree, and a copy of the decree; and

4. Any other information described under subsection D of this section that is known to the putative father, G. 1. A person filing a notice of desire to receive notification of an adoption proceeding concerning the minor, a notice of intent to claim paternity of a minor or an acknowledgment of paternity shall include therein his current address and shall notify the registry of any change of address pursuant to procedures prescribed by rules of the Department, 2. If a putative father does not have an address where the putative father is able to receive notice of an adoption, the putative father may designate another person as an agent for the purpose of receiving notice of adoption. The putative father must provide the Department with the agent's name and the address at which the agent may be served, 3. Service of notice upon the agent constitutes service of notice upon the putative father. If the agent cannot be served at the address provided by the putative father, as provided in this subsection, and if the putative father cannot be served because his whereabouts are unknown, the putative father can be served by publication pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection B of Section 7505-2.1 or paragraph 3 of subsection C of Section 7505-4.1 of this title, H. An unrevoked notice of intent to claim paternity of a minor or an instrument acknowledging paternity may be introduced in evidence by any party in any proceeding in which such fact may be relevant, I. The Department, upon request, shall provide the names and addresses of persons listed with the registry to any court or authorized agency, and such other persons deemed necessary to receive such information by the Department. The information shall not be divulged to any other person except upon order of a court for good cause shown, J. The Department shall:

1. Provide the forms necessary for filing with the paternity registry established by this section and shall make said forms available to any father or putative father of a minor born out of wedlock who wishes to file with the registry; and

2. Provide, from any available funds, for the publication and statewide distribution to the public of information as to the existence of the paternity registry, the procedures for entry into the registry, and the consequences of failure to register, §10-7506-1.2, A. A putative father may revoke a notice of intent to claim paternity at any time by submitting a signed, notarized statement revoking the notice of intent to claim paternity, B. If a court determines that the registrant is not the father of the child, the court shall order that the Department remove the registrant's name from the registry. On receipt of an order providing for the removal of the registrant's name, the Department shall remove the name from the registry.

§10-7507-1.1, An adult person may be adopted by any other adult person, with the consent of the person to be adopted or his guardian, if the court shall approve, and with the consent of the spouse, if any, of an adoptive parent, filed in writing with the court. The provisions of Sections 9 through 36 of this act shall not apply to the adoption of a competent adult person. A petition therefor shall be filed with the district court in the county where the adoptive parents reside. After a hearing on the petition and after such investigation as the court deems advisable, if the court finds that it is to the best interests of the people involved, a decree of adoption may be entered which shall have the legal consequences stated in Section 37 of this act, §10-7508-1.1, A. All records of any adoption finalized in this state shall be maintained for twenty-two (22) years by the child-placing agency, entity, organization or person arranging or facilitating the adoption, B. Child-placing agencies, attorneys, or other entities that facilitate adoptions who cease to operate or to practice in this state shall transfer their adoption records to the Department of Human Services, Adoption Division, or, after giving notice to the Department of Human Services, to a transferee agency that is assuming responsibility for the preservation of the agency's adoption records, §10-7508-1.2, A. The Department of Human Services shall establish and administer, directly or through a contractor, a Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry whereby eligible persons as described in subsection B of this section may indicate their willingness to have their identity and whereabouts disclosed to each other under the conditions specified under this part, B. Subject to the restrictions of subsections C and D of this section, the following persons may register with the Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry:

1. An adult adopted person;

2. An adult person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

3. The adoptive parents or guardian of an adopted person who is under the age of eighteen (18) or who has been declared mentally incompetent;

4. If an adopted person is deceased, the legal parent or guardian of any minor child or mentally incompetent child of the adopted person;

5. If an adopted person is deceased, any adult descendants of the adopted person;

6. The legal parent or guardian of a minor or a person who has been declared mentally incompetent whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

7. The legal parent or guardian of any minor or mentally incompetent child of a deceased person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

8. The adult descendants of a deceased person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

9. A parent whose parental rights were voluntarily terminated by court order subsequent to the parent's consent or relinquishment, or involuntarily terminated by court order, in an adoption, juvenile, guardianship, or domestic relations proceeding; and

10. An adult biological relative of an adopted person or a person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated, C. This registry shall not be used by:

1. An adult adopted person who has a minor biological sibling in the same adoptive family or in an adoptive or foster family or other placement whose location is known to the adult adopted person; or

2. An adult whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated and who has a biological sibling in the same family or in an adoptive or foster family or other placement whose location is known to that adult, D. If a biological relative, other than a biological parent, registers pursuant to paragraph 9 of subsection B of this section, the administrator of the Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry shall ascertain from the State Registrar of Vital Statistics whether an affidavit of nondisclosure by a biological parent is on file. If such an affidavit is filed with the State Registrar and has not been revoked, the administrator of the Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry shall not process a match with any biological relative of the parent who filed the affidavit of nondisclosure, E. 1. An eligible person may register by submitting a notarized affidavit, on a form provided by the Department of Human Services, stating the registrant's current name, address, telephone number, and the registrant's willingness to be identified to some or all eligible relatives, identified by name or by relationship, who also register, The registrant may also provide any previous name by which the registrant was known, previous and current names, if known, of specific eligible persons the registrant wishes to find, the place and date of birth of the adopted minor or the minor whose parent's rights have been terminated, and the name and address of the adoption agency, intermediary, or other person, if any, who placed the minor for adoption or took custody of the minor after the minor's parent's rights were terminated. If the registrant is an adult adopted person or an adult whose biological parent's rights have been terminated, the affidavit shall also contain a statement that the registrant does not have a minor biological sibling in the same family or in an adoptive or foster family or other placement whose location is known to the registrant, 2. The form shall also indicate the registrant's desired method of notification in the event a match occurs; however, the Department shall not be required to utilize methods of notification that would require it to incur unreasonable expense. The form shall also indicate whether the registrant desires release of the registrant's identifying information if a match occurs after the registrant's death. No registration shall be accepted until the prospective registrant submits satisfactory proof of the registrant's identity. Registering persons may revise their consent with respect to change of address, telephone number or method of notification. Any name and accompanying information shall be removed from the list upon the verified written request of the person who registered, F. The administrator of the Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry shall process each affidavit in an attempt to match the registrant with any other eligible persons who have registered and consented to have their identifying information released to the registrant. Such processing may include, but not be limited to, research from agency records, when available, and when agency records are not available, from court records to determine conclusively whether registrants match. When a match has occurred, the administrator shall notify each registrant, by the registrant's designated method only, and obtain the registrant's consent to an exchange of identifying information before any identifying information is released. Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow any state or local governmental department, agency, institution, or contractor, or any employee thereof, to solicit any consent for the release of identifying information from someone who has not registered with the registry, G. Any affidavits filed and other information collected shall be retained for twenty-two (22) years following the date of registration, H. Any person who discloses information from the registry in violation of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or imprisoned for a period of six (6) months or both,

§10-7508-1.3, A. The Department of Human Services shall establish a search program whereby the services of a confidential intermediary who has been certified through the program may be used by eligible persons listed in subsection B of this section to locate an adult biological relative listed in subsection B of this section with whom contact has been lost through adoption or termination of parental rights proceedings, B. Subject to the restrictions of subsections C and D of this section, the following persons may request a search or be the subject of a search through the confidential intermediary search program:

1. An adult adopted person;

2. An adult person who has a parent whose parental rights have been terminated;

3. The legal parent or guardian of any minor or mentally incompetent child of a deceased adopted person;

4. An adult descendant of a deceased adopted person;

5. The legal parent or guardian of any minor or mentally incompetent child of a deceased person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

6. An adult descendant of a deceased person whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated;

7. A biological parent whose parental rights were voluntarily or involuntarily terminated by court order in an adoption, juvenile, guardianship, or domestic relations proceeding;

8. An adult biological sibling or biological grandparent of an adult adopted person or of an adult person who has a parent whose parental rights have been terminated; and

9. The sibling of a deceased biological parent whose parental rights were voluntarily or involuntarily terminated by court order in an adoption, juvenile, guardianship, or domestic relations proceeding, C. A search through the confidential intermediary program may not be performed on behalf of:

1. Anyone who has not previously registered with the Mutual Consent Voluntary Registry at least six (6) months prior to submission of the application for services through the confidential intermediary search program;

2. An adult adopted person who has a minor biological sibling in the same adoptive family or in an adoptive or foster family or other placement whose location is known to the adult adopted person;

3. An adult whose biological parent's parental rights have been terminated and who has a minor biological sibling in the same family or in an adoptive or foster family or other placement whose location is known to that adult; or

4. Anyone who has previously initiated a search for a biological parent that refused to share identifying information, communicate, or meet, and who initiates a subsequent search for a biological relative of that biological parent, D. If a biological relative of an adopted person, other than a biological parent, applies to initiate a search or is the subject of a search, the administrator of the confidential intermediary search program shall ascertain from the State Registrar of Vital Statistics whether an affidavit of nondisclosure by a biological parent of the adopted person is on file. If such an affidavit is filed with the State Registrar and has not been revoked, the administrator of the search program shall decline to initiate a search at the request of or for any biological relative of the parent who filed the affidavit of nondisclosure, unless the person initiating the search can provide satisfactory proof that the biological parent who filed the affidavit of nondisclosure is deceased, E. The Department of Human Services shall administer, directly or through a contractor, the confidential intermediary search program, The Department of Human Services shall adopt rules and procedures necessary to implement the search program, including but not limited to the qualifications, minimum standards for training and certification, and standards of conduct for a confidential intermediary. A person shall not act as a confidential intermediary unless the person has completed the training required by the Department of Human Services, signed and filed an oath of confidentiality with the Department of Human Services, and possesses a confidential intermediary certificate issued by the Department of Human Services, F. The Department of Human Services shall develop an oath of confidentiality, which must be signed under penalty of perjury by each prospective confidential intermediary prior to receiving certification. In the oath, the intermediary shall affirm that:

1. The intermediary has completed the requisite training for a confidential intermediary as required by the Department of Human Services;

2. The intermediary will not disclose to anyone, directly or indirectly, identifying or confidential information in the records or otherwise obtained through the intermediary's participation in the search program, except under the conditions specified in this section;

3. The intermediary will conduct a reasonable search for an individual being sought and make a discreet and confidential inquiry as to whether the individual consents to release of identifying information or medical information or to meeting or communicating with the individual initiating the search, and will report back to the administrator of the program the results of the intermediary's search and inquiry;

4. If the individual initiating the search and the individual being sought consent in writing to meet or to communicate with each other, the intermediary will act in accordance with the instructions of the administrator of the program to facilitate any meeting or communication between them;

5. The intermediary will not accept any fee or compensation for the intermediary's services except as authorized by the administrator of the search program and the Oklahoma Statutes; and

6. The intermediary recognizes that unauthorized release of information is a violation of this section and Section 7505-1.1 of this title and may subject the intermediary to a fine or imprisonment or both, to civil liability, and to loss of certification as a confidential intermediary, G. 1. After an eligible person described in subsection B of this section has:

a. completed an application to initiate a search,
b. provided satisfactory proof of identity to the administrator of the program, and

c. paid the fee established by the Department of Human Services for initiating a search,
the administrator of the search program shall assign the search to a confidential intermediary certified by the Department of Human Services, 2. The confidential intermediary shall be permitted to inspect:

a. all court records relevant to the adoption or termination of parental rights proceeding,
b. the original certificate of birth, or other sealed adoption records, and other relevant records, if any, in the possession of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, and

c. all relevant records in the possession of the Department of Human Services, 3. The confidential intermediary must present to the custodians of such records documentary proof of the intermediary's certification and the referral form from the administrator of the search program prior to obtaining access to any of these records, 4. The confidential intermediary may also inspect records in the possession of a private adoption agency or a private attorney, but only if the private agency or attorney voluntarily agrees to cooperate and permits the examination, 5. The confidential intermediary shall keep confidential all information obtained during the course of the investigation, except as disclosure is permitted by this section, H. 1. If the confidential intermediary is able to locate the subject of the search, the confidential intermediary shall make a discreet and confidential inquiry as to whether the person who is the subject of the search will consent to share identifying information, communicate, or meet with the person who initiated the search, 2. The inquiry to the person who is the subject of the search shall be by personal and confidential contact. The inquiry shall be made without disclosing the identifying information about the person who initiated the search, 3. If the person who is the subject of the search is willing to share identifying information, communicate, or meet with the person who initiated the search, the confidential intermediary shall obtain this consent in writing, in a document that is dated and signed by the subject of the search, 4. If the person who is the subject of the search is not willing to share identifying information, meet, or communicate with the person who initiated the search, the confidential intermediary shall attempt to obtain any nonidentifying medical or social history information that has been requested by the person who has initiated the search, 5. If the confidential intermediary discovers the subject of the search is deceased, the confidential intermediary shall include this information and, if the deceased subject is a biological parent, shall include the identity of the biological parent in the written report, I. 1. Any written consent and nonidentifying information obtained by the confidential intermediary, along with a written report of the results of the intermediary's search and inquiry, shall be transmitted to the administrator of the confidential intermediary program, 2. If the confidential intermediary is unable to locate the subject of the search, the intermediary shall report this to the administrator of the program and include in this written report a description of the search efforts, 3. If the confidential intermediary discovers that the identity of the biological father was unknown or not revealed by the biological mother, the confidential intermediary shall also include this information in the written report, J. 1. Upon receipt of the report of the confidential intermediary, the administrator of the search program shall contact the person who initiated the search, 2. If the subject of the search agreed to share identifying information, communicate, or meet, the administrator shall relay this information and obtain the written consent of the person who initiated the search before arranging the sharing of identifying information, communication, or meeting between them, 3. Upon receiving the written consent of both the initiator and the subject of the search, the administrator may utilize the services of the confidential intermediary to facilitate a communication or meeting, 4. If nonidentifying medical or social history information was obtained, the administrator shall provide a copy of the nonidentifying information to the person who initiated the search. If the intermediary was unable to locate the subject of the search or the subject is deceased or did not consent to exchange identifying information, communicate, or meet, the administrator shall share that information with the initiator of the search, 5. If the subject of the search is a biological parent who is deceased, the administrator shall provide the initiator of the search with any identifying information available regarding the deceased biological parent, if the initiator of the search consents in writing to receive the information, K. If the initiator of a search subsequently applies to the court for an order allowing the release of identifying information for good cause shown, after the subject of the search has refused to share identifying information, communicate, or meet, the initiator shall advise the court in such person's motion of the results of the search, Upon the request of the court, the administrator of the program shall disclose to the court the report of the confidential intermediary regarding the results of the search, including any information about why the subject of the search objected to disclosure or contact, L. Any information obtained by a confidential intermediary during the course of such person's investigation shall be kept strictly confidential and shall be disclosed and utilized only in the manner permitted by this section, M. Any person who discloses information obtained during the course of a search performed under this section in violation of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or imprisoned for a period of six (6) months or both, N. Any reports and other information collected as a result of a search performed under this section shall be retained by the administrator of the search program for twenty-two (22) years following the date of the initial application for the search, O. The Department may charge the person who initiates the search for the actual expenses incurred in providing the service requested under this section and a reasonable fee for compensation of the confidential intermediary and the administration of this program, §10-7509-1.1, A. It is the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that when an infant will be placed for adoption, a discharge of the infant from a medical facility shall be made as soon after birth as is medically prudent to facilitate the placement that has been arranged, B. It shall be unlawful for any physician, hospital, or any other person or entity to condition discharge of an infant from a medical facility on the payment of any expense or to require a temporary order from a court before discharging an infant. Upon receipt of a written authorization of the birth mother, a medical facility shall release an infant to the person or agency designated in the written authorization, C. Any physician, hospital, or any other person or entity that violates the provisions of subsection B of this section shall be liable in a civil action for compensatory and punitive damages, shall be subject to injunctive remedies and a judgment for the payment of an aggrieved person's attorney fees and court costs. In addition, upon proof before any State of Oklahoma licensing board or agency, that any physician, hospital, or other person or entity has violated the provisions of this section, said person's or entity's license or charter to practice a profession or conduct business operations within this state may be suspended, §10-7509-1.2, In order to facilitate the updating of medical and social information received pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Act and for the operation of the mutual consent voluntary registry and the confidential intermediary search programs, the office of the court clerk in each county of this state shall create a confidential index that cross-references an adoption of a child by both the child's birth name and adoptive name,
§10-7510-1.2, As used in the Subsidized Adoption Act:

"Child" means a minor who is:

1. In the court-ordered custody of a public or licensed private nonprofit child-placing agency or federally recognized Indian tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act;

2. Legally free for adoption; and

3. In special circumstances because the child is not likely to be adopted by reason of one or more of the following conditions:

a. physical or mental disability,
b. emotional disturbance,
c. recognized high risk of physical or mental disease,
d. age,
e. sibling relationship,
f. racial or ethnic factors, or

g. any combination of these conditions, §10-7510-1.3, A. The Department of Human Services shall establish and administer an ongoing program of subsidized adoption. Subsidies and services for children who are in the permanent custody of the Department of Human Services under this program shall be provided out of funds appropriated to the Department of Human Services for the maintenance of children in foster care or made available to it from other sources, B. Children who are in the court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing agency or federally recognized Indian tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, shall receive subsidies and services from funds appropriated by the Legislature,

§10-7510-1.4, A. Whenever significant emotional ties have been established between a child and his foster parent or parents, and the foster parent or parents seek to adopt the child, the child may be certified as eligible for an adoption maintenance subsidy conditioned upon adoption of the child under applicable adoption procedures by the foster parent or parents, B. In all other cases, after reasonable efforts have been made and no appropriate adoptive family without the use of subsidy has been found for a child, the Department of Human Services shall certify the child as eligible for a subsidy in the event of adoption, C. If the child is in the court-ordered custody of a child-placing agency or federally recognized Indian tribe as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, that agency or tribe shall present to the Department of Human Services:

1. Evidence of significant emotional ties between the child and the foster parent or parents of the child; or
2. Evidence of inability to place the child for adoption due to any of the conditions specified in Section 7510-1.2 of this title. The agency or tribe shall present evidence that reasonable efforts have been made to place the child without subsidy, such as recruitment of a potential parent or parents, use of adoption resource exchanges, referral to appropriate specialized adoption agencies and efforts to place the child in a Department of Human Services nonsubsidy adoptive home, §10-7510-1.5, A. When a parent or parents are found and approved for adoption of a child certified as eligible for subsidy, and before the final decree of adoption is issued, there must be a written agreement between the family entering into the subsidized adoption and the Department of Human Services. Adoption subsidies in individual cases may commence with the adoption placement or at the appropriate time after the adoption decree, and shall be based on the needs of the child as well as the availability of other resources to meet the child's needs. The subsidy may be for special services only, or for money payments, and either for a limited period, or for a long term, or for any combination of the foregoing. The amount of the time-limited or long-term subsidy may in no case exceed that which would be allowable from time to time for such child under foster family care, or, in the case of a special service, the reasonable fee for the service rendered, B. When a child is determined to have a causative, preexisting condition which was not identified or known prior to the legal adoption and which has resulted in a severe medical or psychiatric condition that requires extensive treatment, hospitalization, or institutionalization, an adoption subsidy may be approved. Upon the approval of the subsidy, the adoptive parents shall also be entitled to receive retroactive subsidy payments for the two (2) months prior to the date such subsidy was approved, C. Any child who met the requirements of the provisions of Section 7510-1.2 of this title, and was determined eligible for Oklahoma adoption assistance payments with respect to a prior adoption, and is available for adoption because the prior adoption has been dissolved and the parental rights of the adoptive parents have been terminated or because the child's adoptive parents have died, shall be eligible for Oklahoma adoption assistance payments with respect to any subsequent adoption, D. When subsidies are for more than one (1) year, the adoptive parent or parents shall present an annual sworn certification that the adopted child remains under their care and that the conditions that caused the child to be certified continue to exist. The adoptive parent or parents shall at all times keep the Department of Human Services informed of circumstances which would make them ineligible for such assistance payments or eligible for assistance payments in a different amount. The Department of Human Services is authorized and directed to make a review of each subsidy annually to assure that the parents are fulfilling their contract obligations. No payment may be made to any parents with respect to any child who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, except where the state determines that the child has a physical or mental handicap which warrants the continuation of assistance until the child reaches the age of twenty-one (21) years. Termination or modification of the subsidy agreement may be requested by the adoptive parent or parents at any time. No payment may be made to adoptive parents if the Department determines that the parents are no longer legally responsible for the support of the child or that the child is no longer receiving any support from such parents, E. A child who is a resident of this state when eligibility for subsidy is certified shall remain eligible and receive subsidy, if necessary for adoption, regardless of the domicile or residence of the adopting parent or parents at the time of application for adoption, placement, legal decree of adoption or thereafter, F. All records regarding subsidized adoption shall be confidential and may be disclosed only in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Adoption Code,

§10-7510-1.6, Any subsidy decision by the Department of Human Services, which the placement agency or the adoptive parent or parents deem adverse to the child, shall be reviewable before a Subsidized Adoption Review Committee established by the Department of Human Services. The committee shall consist of five (5) members with two of the members being representatives of private, nonprofit child-placing agencies not party to the appeal,

§10-7510-2.1, A. The Department of Human Services, as funds become available for such purposes, shall contract with or join the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resources Exchange or any other instate or out-of-state or national adoption exchange for purposes of increasing and promoting the placement and adoption of children who are in the custody of the Department of Human Services and in child-placing agencies, B. Upon contracting with or joining the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resources Exchange or any instate or out-of-state or national adoption exchange, the Department and all child-placing agencies shall be required to provide certain information to the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange or any other instate, out-of-state or national adoption exchange specified by the Department, C. For purposes of the Subsidized Adoption Act:

1. "Adoption exchange" shall include only those exchanges which provide a monthly updated system, containing a photograph or description of each child whose parental rights have been terminated and is legally available for adoption; and

2. "Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange" is a private nonprofit corporation incorporated in this state whose membership is composed of child-placing agencies which operates under the direction of a board of directors selected in accordance with the bylaws of the corporation, §10-7510-2.2, Pursuant to the provisions of Section 60.31 of this title, the Department of Human Services and all child-placing agencies shall be required to provide to the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange or any other instate, out-of-state or national adoption exchange specified by the Department, a recent photograph and description of each child who is legally available for adoption and for whom no adoptive home has been found. Requirements of this section must be completed within ninety (90) days of the date a child has become legally available for adoption or as otherwise required by the adoption exchange,

§10-7510-2.3, The following persons are exempt from the provisions of Sections 7510-2.1 through 7510-2.5 of this title:

1. Children age twelve (12) years or older who do not choose to be adopted pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Act;

2. Children for whom permanent placement plans have been made that do not include adoption; for example, permanent placement with relatives or long-term foster care;

3. Children who, because of medical or psychological reasons as determined by a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist or physician, are not ready for adoption;

4. Children who are runaways and whose present location is unknown;
and

5. Children who are currently in an adoptive placement, pursuant to Section 7505-6.3 of this title,

§10-7510-2.4, Any change in the status of a child listed by the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange or any other instate, out-of-state or national adoption exchange specified by the Department shall be reported by the Department of Human Services or child-placing agency having legal custody of that child to the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange or any other instate, out-of-state or national adoption exchange specified by the Department. The report shall be completed within twenty (20) working days after the change occurs, §10-7510-2.5, A child registered with the Oklahoma Children's Adoption Resource Exchange or any other instate, out-of-state or national adoption exchange as legally adoptable shall be withdrawn from the register when the exchange receives written notification from the agency having legal custody that the child has been placed in an adoptive home,

§10-7510-3.2, This Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance, hereinafter called "the compact", is hereby enacted into law and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows:

ARTICLE I. FINDINGs
The party states find that:

(1) In order to obtain adoptive families for children with special needs, prospective adoptive parents must be assured of substantial assistance (usually on a continuing basis) in meeting the high costs of supporting and providing for the special needs and services required by such children, (2) The states have a fundamental interest in promoting adoption for children with special needs because the care, emotional stability and general support and encouragement required by such children to surmount their physical, mental or emotional conditions can be best, and often only, obtained in family homes with a normal parent-child relationship, (3) The states obtain advantages from providing adoption assistance because the customary alternative is for the state to defray the entire cost of meeting all the needs of such children, (4) The special needs involved are for the emotional, physical maintenance of the child, and medical support and services, (5) The necessary assurance of adoption assistance for children with special needs, in those instances where children and adoptive parents are in states other than the one undertaking to provide the assistance, is to establish and maintain suitable substantive guarantees and workable procedures for interstate payments to assist with the necessary child maintenance, procurement of services, and medical assistance, ARTICLE II. PURPOSEs
The purposes of this compact are to:

(1) Strengthen protections for the interest of the children with special needs on behalf of whom adoption assistance is committed to be paid, when such children are in or move to states other than the one committed to make adoption assistance payments, (2) Provide substantive assurances and procedures which will promote the delivery of medical and other services on an interstate basis to children through programs of adoption assistance established by the laws of the party states, ARTICLE III. DEFINITIONs
As used in this compact, unless the context clearly requires a different construction:

(1) "Child with special needs" means a minor who has not yet attained the age at which the state normally discontinues children's services or twenty-one (21) years, where the state determines that the child's mental or physical handicaps warrant the continuation of assistance, for whom the state has determined the following:

(A) That the child cannot or should not be returned to the home of his parents; (B) That there exists with respect to the child a specific factor or condition (such as his ethnic background, age, or membership in a minority or sibling group, or the presence of factors such as medical condition or physical, mental, or emotional handicaps) because of which it is reasonable to conclude that such child cannot be placed with adoptive parents without providing adoption assistance, (C) That, except where it would be against the best interests of the child because of such factors as the existence of significant emotional ties with prospective adoptive parents while in the care of such parents as a foster child, a reasonable, but unsuccessful, effort has been made to place the child with appropriate adoptive parents without providing adoption assistance payments, (2) "Adoption assistance" means the payment or payments for maintenance of a child, which payment or payments are made or committed to be made pursuant to the adoption assistance program established by the laws of a party state, (3) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or a Territory or Possession of the United States, (4) "Adoption assistance state" means the state that is signatory to an adoption assistance agreement in a particular case, (5) "Residence state" means the state of which the child is a resident by virtue of the residence of the adoptive parents, (6) "Parents" means either the singular or plural of the word "parent", ARTICLE IV. ADOPTION ASSISTANCe
(1) Each state shall determine the amounts of adoption assistance and other aid which it will give to children with special needs and their adoptive parents in accordance with its own laws and programs. The adoption assistance and other aid may be made subject to periodic re-evaluation of eligibility by the adoption assistance state in accordance with its laws. The provisions of this article and of Article V are subject to the limitation set forth in this paragraph, (2) The adoption assistance and medical assistance services and benefits to which this compact applies are those provided to children with special needs and their adoptive parents from the time of the final decree of adoption or the interlocutory decree of adoption, as the case may be, pursuant to the laws of the adoptive assistance state. In addition to the content required by subsequent provisions of this article for adoption assistance agreements, each such agreement shall state whether the initial adoption assistance period thereunder begins with the final or interlocutory decree of adoption. Aid provided by party states to children with special needs during the preadoptive placement period or earlier shall be under the foster care or other programs of the states and, except as provided in paragraph 3 of this article, shall not be governed by the provisions of this compact, (3) Every case of adoption assistance shall include an adoption assistance agreement between the adoptive parents and the agency of the state undertaking to provide the adoption assistance. Every such agreement shall contain provisions for the fixing of actual or potential interstate aspects of the adoption assistance, as follows:

(A) An express commitment that the adoption assistance shall be payable without regard for the state of residence of the adoptive parents, both at the outset of the agreement period and at all times during its continuance, (B) A provision setting forth with particularity the types of child care and services toward which the adoption assistance state will make payments, (C) A commitment to make medical assistance available to the child in accordance with Article V of this compact, (D) An express declaration that the agreement is for the benefit of the child, the adoptive parents and the state and that it is enforceable by any or all of them, (4) Any services or benefits provided by the residence state and the adoption assistance state for a child may be facilitated by the party states on each other's behalf. To this end, the personnel of the child welfare agencies of the party states will assist each other and beneficiaries of adoption assistance agreements with other party states in implementing benefits expressly included in adoption assistance agreements. However, it is recognized and agreed that in general children to whom adoption assistance agreements apply are eligible for benefits under the child welfare, education, rehabilitation, mental health and other programs of their state of residence on the same basis as other resident children, (5) Adoption assistance payments, when made on behalf of a child in another state shall be made on the same basis and in the same amounts as they would be made if the child were in the state making the payments, ARTICLE V. MEDICAL ASSISTANCe
(1) Children for whom a party state is committed in accordance with the terms of an adoption assistance agreement to make adoption assistance payments are eligible for medical assistance during the entire period for which such payments are to be provided. Upon application therefor by the adoptive parents of a child on whose behalf a party state's duly constituted authorities have entered into an adoption assistance agreement, the adoptive parents shall receive a medical assistance identification made out in the child's name. The identification shall be issued by the medical assistance program of the residence state and shall entitle the child to the same benefits, pursuant to the same procedures, as any other child who is a resident of the state and covered by medical assistance, whether or not the adoptive parents are eligible for medical assistance, (2) The identification shall bear no indication that an adoption assistance agreement with another state is the basis for issuance, However, if the identification is issued on account of an outstanding adoption assistance agreement to which another state is a signatory, the records of the issuing state and the adoption assistance state shall show the fact, shall contain a copy of the adoption assistance agreement and any amendment or replacement therefor, and all other pertinent information. The adoption assistance and medical assistance programs of the adoption assistance state shall be notified of the identification issuance, (3) A state which has issued a medical assistance identification pursuant to this compact, which identification is valid and currently in force, shall accept, process and pay medical assistance claims thereon as on any other medical assistance eligibilities of residents, (4) An adoption assistance state which provides medical services or benefits to children covered by its adoption assistance agreements, which services or benefits are not provided for those children under the medical assistance program of the residence state, may enter into cooperative arrangements with the residence state to facilitate the delivery and administration of such services and benefits. However, any such arrangements shall not be inconsistent with this compact nor shall they relieve the residence state of any obligation to provide medical assistance in accordance with its laws and this compact, (5) A child whose residence is changed from one party state to another party state shall be eligible for medical assistance under the medical assistance program of the new state of residence, ARTICLE VI. JOINDER AND WITHDRAWAl
(1) This compact shall be open to joinder by any state. It shall enter into force as to a state when its duly constituted and empowered authority has executed it, (2) In order that the provisions of this compact may be accessible to and known by the general public and so that its status as law in each of the party states may be fully implemented, the full text of the compact, together with a notice of its execution, shall be caused to be published by the authority which has executed it in each party state. Copies of the compact shall be made available upon request made of the executing authority in any state, (3) Withdrawal from this compact shall be by written notice sent by the authority which executed it to the appropriate officials of all other party states, but no such notice shall take effect until one (1) year after it is given in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph, (4) All adoption assistance agreements outstanding and to which a party state is signatory at the time when its withdrawal from this compact takes effect shall continue to have the effects given to them pursuant to this compact, until they expire or are terminated in accordance with their provisions. Until such expiration or termination, all beneficiaries of the agreements involved shall continue to have all rights and obligations conferred or imposed by this compact and the withdrawing state shall continue to administer the compact to the extent necessary to accord and implement fully the rights and protections preserved thereby, §10-7510-3.3, The Department of Human Services shall be the administrator of the Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance. The Oklahoma Public Welfare Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the terms and purposes of this compact.

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